Recent advancements in facial reconstruction technology have brought to life a royal woman from the Late Bronze Age in Mycenae, Greece, who lived around 3,500 years ago. This remarkable reconstruction allows us to peer into the past and see the face of someone connected to the legendary kingdom associated with Helen of Troy.
The woman, believed to have been in her mid-30s at the time of her burial, was interred in a royal cemetery dating back to the 16th to 17th centuries BC. Her tomb was uncovered in the 1950s on the Greek mainland, in the site often linked to Homer’s King Agamemnon.
This captivating fresco from the 13th century BC, measuring 53 cm in height, depicts a goddess accepting a necklace. This artwork reflects the rich cultural heritage of Mycenae, which was home to the royal figure that has recently been digitally reconstructed. The fresco is housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
Dr. Emily Hauser, a historian and senior lecturer in classics and ancient history at the University of Exeter, commissioned the digital reconstruction. In an interview with The Observer, she expressed her amazement, stating, “She’s incredibly modern. She took my breath away.” Dr. Hauser emphasized the significance of this reconstruction, noting that it allows us to look into the face of a woman from a kingdom tied to legendary figures, including Clytemnestra, Helen’s sister, reinforcing the notion that these were real individuals.
The digital artist Juanjo Ortega G. created the lifelike representation based on a clay reconstruction made in the 1980s by researchers at Manchester University, who were pioneers in facial reconstruction methods. Dr. Hauser remarked, “For the first time since she was laid beneath the ground over 3,500 years ago, we are able to gaze into the actual face of a Bronze Age royal woman — and it truly is a face to launch a thousand ships.”
She noted that the woman died at the onset of the late Bronze Age, several hundred years before the estimated timeline of the Trojan War. Significant advancements in forensic anthropology, DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, and 3D digital printing have greatly improved our ability to reconstruct images of ancient peoples, prompting Dr. Hauser to say, “We can – for the first time – peer back into the eyes of the past.”
The woman had been buried with an electrum face mask and a collection of weapons, including three swords that were initially thought to belong to a male companion. However, further analysis revealed that she and the man buried beside her were actually siblings. Dr. Hauser highlighted the paradox of traditional narratives around female burials, stating, “The traditional story is that if you have a woman next to a man, she must be his wife.” This woman’s burial underscores her importance , as she was interred there by virtue of her birth rather than marriage.
Dr. Hauser also noted that data is emerging to suggest that many warrior burial artifacts are found with women’s remains, challenging previous assumptions about gender roles in ancient warfare. She remarked that “archaeological evidence and DNA analysis are allowing the real women of ancient history to step out of the shadows.”
Furthermore, the physical condition of the woman’s bones indicates she may have suffered from arthritis in her vertebrae and hands, possibly as a result of repeated weaving, a common and labor-intensive task for women, akin to what we see portrayed in the Iliad with Helen. Dr. Hauser concluded that this reconstruction beautifully connects real women’s experiences to the ancient myths and stories that have shaped history.
Dr. Hauser’s upcoming book, “Mythica: A New History of Homer’s World, Through the Women Written Out of It,” is set to be published next week, further exploring these themes of women’s roles in ancient narratives.
Source: www.theguardian.com/observer
