Experts Recreate the Face of a 10,000-Year-Old Mesolithic 'Margaux Woman' Using Ancient DNA

Experts have astounded everyone by bringing back a face from the ancient past. In this stunning recreation, scientists have developed the face of possibly a 10,500-year-old woman from present-day Belgium, according to CNN. The prehistoric woman was found buried in the Margaux cave in Dinant during an archaeological dig in 1988-1989. The researchers did the reconstruction based on ancient DNA extracted from the woman. Results showed that the woman had blue eyes and lighter skin compared to the initial examination from the Mesolithic Period in Western Europe, per Ghent University's statement. The woman is believed to belong to the same population group as the popular Cheddar Man, one of the oldest modern humans from Britain.

In the reconstruction, the experts provided the woman with a headdress and a neckpiece of sorts, according to the Daily Mail. Her head appears to be shaven, and she is also sporting some decorative markings on her shoulders, seemingly made of ochre and charcoal, along with distinctive light blueish-grey eyes. Since researchers discovered her remains in the Margaux cave, the woman is popularly called the Margaux woman. The woman was a homo sapiens and possibly lived in the area after the end of the last ice age. She was a hunter-gatherer who traversed the dense forests and rivers of the area in search of food, per the experts.

The well-preserved DNA used for reconstruction had been extracted from the woman 35 years after her discovery. Some aspects of her appearance, as suggested by the DNA, surprised experts, such as her lighter skin. Maïté Rivollat, chief geneticist of the project, believes that there was more diversity in skin pigmentation amongst individuals of that period than scientists previously thought. The insights from the DNA were used by palaeo-anthropological artists Adrie and Alfons Kennis, twin brothers, to create the face. They used materials like resin and silicone for the model. 

For the model, the experts considered genetic research, archaeological finds, and several anatomical examinations, according to The Jerusalem Post. For accuracy, evidence from mesolithic sites in the Meuse Valley was also considered. Elements like the woman's jewelry and tattoos were based on the data collected from these sites. Elements like the woman's jewelry and tattoos were based on the data collected from these sites. The public received the first glimpse of this reconstructed face during a presentation in Dinant, Namur Province. It will soon be a part of a traveling exhibition that will put the model in several museums of Flanders and Wallonia. The reconstruction will be accompanied by the reimagination of her daily life, crafted under the guidance of artist Ulco Glimmerveen.

Elements, such as means of transport, hunting techniques, and campsites, were incorporated into this reimagination to truly reflect this mesolithic woman's daily life. Also, the public has been given an opportunity to choose a name for the woman, with options: Margo, Freyà, Mos'anne, and many more. Researchers are now looking forward to analyzing the relationship between Margaux woman and eight other women buried in the same cave, according to CNN. Experts want to move forward in this direction because mesolithic burials typically did not contain just one gender. It made the Margaux site stand apart and intrigued researchers to learn more about the individuals in it.