UK scientists reconstruct face of 7th-century Christian convert [Video]

The face of a 16-year-old girl from the 7th century was reconstructed by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) in the United Kingdom, according to a release from the University of Cambridge. The reconstruction was made available for a public appearance on June 21. 

The girl, who had died near Cambridge, had been discovered by the CAU in 2012. Despite having been found in England, the young lady is believed to have originated from Central Europe. She had been found wearing a gold Trumpington Cross.

The girl’s bones and teeth underwent isotopic analysis by bioarchaeologists Dr Sam Leggett and Dr. Alice Rose, and archaeologist Dr Emma Brownlee. Their analysis confirmed that the woman likely originated from near the Alps.

The researchers found that once the girl moved to England, her protein consumption decreased. 

“She was probably quite unwell and she traveled a long way to somewhere completely unfamiliar – even the food was different. It must have been scary,”  Leggett empathized. 

…