Scientists reconstruct the face of a teenage girl who died 1300 years ago (PHOTO)

What did our ancestors look like? On the face of it, our great-great-grandparents looked a lot like us... that is, if we don't take into account their height, which was on average shorter, and their dentition, which must have been a sight to see (and probably to smell), given the non-existence of toothpaste and other technological marvels like the toothbrush!

In England, the remains of a teenage girl were found in 2012. Curious to know what kind of face this girl had, which would tell us a lot about our ancestors, scientists have managed to reconstruct her face thanks to various measurements and data collected on her body.

The teenage girl's skeleton was found in Trumpington

The skeleton of this teenage girl was found in an archaeological site in Trumpington, a village south of Cambridge. In 2012, it was already possible to deduce several elements of this girl's life, even before we knew what she looked like.

As the BBC reports, the conditions of the girl's burial gave some insight into her social status at the time of her death.

Her skeleton was found buried on a wooden bed, with a gold and garnet cross on her chest at Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, in 2012.

These details suggest she belonged to a certain pious social elite, and had crossed the continent to be married. Dr. Legget, who was able to analyze the skeleton, says this teenage girl is a reflection of the lives of women 1300 years ago.

It really does seem to suggest the movement of a small group of young elite women from a mountainous area in continental Europe to the Cambridge region in the third quarter of the seventh century

In a press release, the University of Cambridge added:

Leggett and Rose also found that once the girl had arrived in England, the proportion of protein in her diet decreased by a small but significant amount. This change occurred close to the end of her young life, showing that the period between her migration and burial near Cambridge was tragically short.

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Her face will be exhibited to the public in Cambridge

After taking skull measurements and collecting biological data from Caucasian women, Dr. Legget and artist Hew Morrison were able to recreate her face. Hew Morrison also noticed a detail:

It was interesting to see her face developing. Her left eye was slightly lower, about half a centimetre, than her right eye. This would have been quite noticeable in life.

However, the reconstructed face is not 100% faithful to the one the girl had 1300 years ago: for lack of data, scientists are not sure about the color of her hair and eyes. Nevertheless, this reconstruction from beyond the grave is a real breakthrough, which visitors to the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology will be able to admire from June 21.

Read more:Two people arrested 31 years after mysterious murder of mother in England

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

BBC: Trumpington burial: Teenage Anglo-Saxon girl's face revealed

University of Cambridge: The Trumpington Cross burial