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10,000-Year-Old Woman’s Face Reconstructed
Scientists have unveiled the reconstructed face of a woman who lived 10,000 years ago in what is now Belgium’s Meuse River valley. Using cutting-edge DNA technology, researchers from Ghent University were able to determine that she likely had dark hair, blue eyes, and lighter skin than many of her European contemporaries. This unique coloring may be attributed to the nomadic lifestyle of her tribe.
Discovered in 1988 amongst the remains of 30-60 other women in the Margaux caves, the “Meuse Woman,” as she is currently known, lived 5,000 years before the construction of Stonehenge. Analysis of her remains suggests a complex burial ritual involving the use of ochre on scalped skulls.
Professor Isabelle De Groote, leading the research, noted the unusual circumstance of only women being buried at the site. The team also gleaned insights into the woman’s diet and environment through the discovery of animal remains, hazelnut remnants indicating nearby hazel forests, and evidence of encampments marked by poles.
Dutch paleo-anthropological artists Adrie and Alfons Kennis used a combination of resin and silicone to sculpt the woman’s face, based on the Ghent team’s findings. The public is invited to participate in naming her, choosing from Margo, Freya, or Mos’anne via an online poll open until the end of June.
While the cause of her death remains a mystery, there’s no skeletal evidence of a blow to the head. Professor De Groote describes the Meuse Woman’s tribe as living a simple life interwoven with nature, utilizing animal parts for clothing and tools, potentially domesticating dogs, and practicing skilled foraging and hunting.
Their era, the Mesolithic period, saw advancements in toolmaking using bone and wood, creating weapons such as bows and arrows. Toward the end of this period, humans began developing pottery for food storage and also explored artistic expression through painting.