Dutch twins help recreate face of Belgium's ancient hunter-gatherer

WITH her clear blue eyes and slightly nervous gaze, the reconstructed bust of Mos’anne - a woman who lived around 10 500 years ago - is uncannily lifelike.

- | NICOLAS TUCAT AFP

Reborn via a close partnership between science and art, Mos’anne’s bust was created at Belgium’s Ghent University as part of a project to explore how the region’s last hunter-gatherers lived during the Mesolithic era.

“Part of the project is also understanding the genetics of these people, figuring out their kinship and so on, and to be able to really translate the science that we do to a wider audience,” the project's lead researcher, Isabelle de Groote, said.

Scientists chose the skull of Mos’anne - named by public vote in reference to Belgium’s Meuse Valley - for reconstruction, as it was exceptionally well preserved.