‘Strong face’ of an ancient Scottish woman is revealed for the first time in 4,250 years

The ‘strong face’ of a woman who lived in prehistoric Scotland 2,000 years before the birth of Christ stares at us through the ages after scientists rebuild her image.

‘Ava’ was buried near Achavanich – a megalithic structure in northern Caithness – where she lay for some 4,000 years, until her grave was excavated in 1987.

Now her face can be seen for the first time since the Bronze Age after a scientific reconstruction of her features was completed from her skull.

Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes, the author of the new study, said, “We see a strong-faced young girl who commands respect.”

Rebuilding the face of a person who died so long ago was not without its challenges.

The ‘strong face’ of a woman who lived in prehistoric Scotland 2,000 years before Christ’s birth stares at us through the ages after scientists rebuild her image

The first problem was Ava’s missing lower jaw, which had to be virtually rebuilt using statistical data.

Then, the size and position of various facial features – including lips, eyeballs, ears and nose – were projected using CT scan data from modern human donors.

Thickness markers were also used to indicate how deep the tissue should be at a particular site on the skull, again using data from living donors – particularly modern Europeans.

And then Mr. Moraes undertook a process called “anatomical distortion.”

He said: “Such technology consists of using the skull and soft tissue of a virtual donor that is modified until the donor’s skull transforms into Ava’s skull.

“This causes the skin to follow the deformation, resulting in a face that is compatible with the individual.”

The end result offers us a glimpse into Scotland’s prehistoric past.

It’s not the only attempt to capture Ava’s likeness – a 2D reconstruction by forensic artist Hew Morrison made headlines in 2018.

But the new work, which used different methods, is the first time its features have been rebuilt in 3D.

Cicero said, ‘Overall the results are quite similar, as it resulted in a robust face, with the nose slightly asymmetrical to the left side of her face.

“My approach was three-dimensional, the previous one was two-dimensional, so we used different approaches, but both are based on previously published technical material.”

The first problem was Ava’s missing lower jaw, which had to be virtually rebuilt using statistical data

Ava was between 18 and 25 years old when she died, and had brown eyes, black hair, and slightly darker skin than modern Scots.

The previous study concluded that Ava was between 18 and 25 years old when she died, and had brown eyes, black hair and slightly darker skin than modern Scots.

They found that she ate a diet largely derived from land, despite her proximity to the sea, while the condition of her bones suggested a life of physical toil.

Her cause of death is unknown.

Mr Moraes also paid tribute to those behind the previous reconstruction.

He said: ‘I am very happy with the result and very grateful to the team that carried out the original project.

‘They not only shared their results, but also the data that made the current work possible, including the 3D skull, which was available on the internet.’

Mr. Moraes published his study in the 3D computer graphics magazine OrtogOnLineMag.