Home Applications & Case Studies Face of 2000-year-old Egyptian Woman Brought to Life through 3D Printing

Face of 2000-year-old Egyptian Woman Brought to Life through 3D Printing

Researchers from the University of Melbourne and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine at Monash University have collaborated in bringing the head of a 2000-year-old mummified Egyptian woman back to life.

In a multi-disciplinary project involving several faculties, the team combined medical research, forensic science, CT scanning, Egyptology, art and 3D printing.

“The idea of the project is to take this relic and, in a sense, bring her back to life by using all the new technology,” said  biological anthropologist Dr. Varsha Pilbrow.

The head of the woman called Meritamun, who was approximately 18 to 25 years old when she died, was reconstructed by first taking a CT scan of the mummified skull and then creating a 3D model. Based on that data, researchers were able to see that her skull was in extraordinarily good condition.

The CT scan opened up a whole lot of questions and avenues of enquiry and we realised it was a great forensic and teaching opportunity in collaborative research,” said parasitologist Dr. Ryan Jefferies.

meritamun_3d_printing_skull1The research team used a simple consumer 3D printer to produce the skull in 140 hours printing time. It was printed in two sections to receive more detailed results of the jaws and base of the skull. Being able to create 3D prints of body parts and organs opens up a whole new use for the university’s specimen collection. Combining CT scanning with 3D printing technology allows them to produce multiple copies of specimens that can also be reproduced for handling and study.

“We can now replicate specimens with really interesting pathologies for students to handle and for virtual reality environments without ever touching the specimen itself,” said imaging technician Gavan Mitchell.

The 3D printed skull of Meritamun was also the base for sculptor Jennifer Mann, who used her forensic and artistic skill to reconstruct the Egyptian woman’s face. Mann has practised on skull casts previously used in cases to reconstruct unidentified murder victims. This involves attaching markers to the casts of 3D printed skull to indicate different tissue depths at certain points on the face before applying clay according to the musculature of the face and known anatomical ratios based on the actual skull. The reconstructioned face was then cast in polyurethane resin and painted.

“I have followed the evidence and an accepted methodology for reconstruction and out of that has emerged the face of someone who has come down to us from so long ago. It is an amazing feeling,” she explains.

Check out the time-laps video below:


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