Chinese archaeologists reconstruct 5,000-year-old ancestor’s face via 3D technology

SHENYANG, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) — Imagine peering into the distant past by glimpsing the face of an ancient ancestor based on a skull. Thanks to cutting-edge 3D technology, archaeologists in northeast China’s Liaoning and Jilin provinces have turned this fantasy into reality.
Researchers from the Liaoning provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology and the School of Archaeology at Jilin University have digitally reconstructed the face of a man from the Hongshan culture who lived during the Neolithic Age, offering modern audiences a glance at life over 5,000 years ago.
The reconstructed face belongs to a man estimated to have been between 25 and 30 years old, said Li Haibo, deputy director of the institute, noting that the relatively well-preserved skull was excavated from a tomb dating back to the Hongshan culture period found in the city of Chaoyang in Liaoning.
Researchers combined insights from diverse disciplines, including anthropology, anatomy, computer science and art, to determine the individual’s gender and age — recreating facial features down to details such as eye, skin and hair color.
“It is the first reconstruction based on an actual Hongshan ancestor’s skull,” Li said. “The reconstructed face can be considered the closest to reality achieved to date.”
According to Guo Dashun, a prominent Chinese archaeologist, the Hongshan culture is a significant marker of China’s transition to the era of ancient states. The discovery of this culture laid the foundation for understanding the diverse origins of Chinese civilization.
Compared to traditional sculptural restoration methods, 3D technology offers greater scientific precision, higher accuracy and improved efficiency, Li said.
China’s advancements in 3D technology are continuously providing valuable insights into archaeological discoveries, helping to reveal the true appearance of ancient people and deepening our understanding of history.
In May this year, the Hunan Museum in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province, released the image of a “3D digital figure” of Xin Zhui, one of the most famous wet mummies in the world, while four months later, archaeologists in Henan Province unveiled facial reconstructions of two men who lived near the Yellow River during the Neolithic Age. ■