Computer ‘reconstructions’ of faces from ancient times are popular. But how reliable are they?

When we read about the lives of people from the ancient past, we naturally want to know what they looked like. But how do we find this out? In recent years, computer-assisted reconstructions of the faces of famous figures from the Greco-Roman world have become popular. In 2020, for example, a digital artist went viral for using artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the busts of Roman emperors to recreate their faces in a photo-realistic way.

How are facial reconstructions done? The simplest form of facial reconstruction involves adding realistic-looking skin, eyes and hair to Greek or Roman busts. Other methods can be more complicated. One of the most famous facial reconstructions of any individual from the Greco-Roman world was the case of Hermione Grammatike .

Hermione was a teacher in her 20s who died in Egypt in the early 1st century CE. Hermione’s ancient portrait and skeleton both survived with her mummy. So, any attempt to reconstruct her face on the basis of the skeletal remains could be compared with the portrait of her.

In 1997, British Museum researchers used CT (computed tomography) scans to create a 3D image of Hermione’s face. After reconstructing the surface of the face using the skull, the researchers then consulted the coffin portrait to nuance the details. In spite of this rigorous combination of methods, they acknowledged difficulties: Since the skull does not carry enough information to completely determine the facial surface, facial reconstructio.