Ancient Egyptian Faces Digitally Reconstructed

RESTON, VIRGINIA—According to a statement released by Parabon Nanolabs, DNA data combined with thermal meshing, a technique used by forensic scientists to identify human remains, was employed by technicians at Parabon Nanolabs to produce digital reconstructions of the faces of three mummies discovered at the ancient Egyptian site of Abusir. Previous study of the mummies suggests they were all of men who died around 25 years of age between 1380 B.C. and A.D. 425. DNA sequenced by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History revealed the men’s skin color, freckling, eye color, and hair color and texture. Thermal scans of the mummies’ heads were then used to create 3-D meshes of their basic facial bone structure. When the DNA data was added to the meshes, the digital images of the three men were revealed. For more on the necropolis of Abusir, go to "In the Reign of the Sun Kings."