Al-Ula on February 6 (BNA): A team of archaeologists and academics in the fields of forensic science and model-making under the umbrella of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula Governorate has carried out what is believed to be the first time ever. , reconstructed the face of an ancient woman, a member of the remarkable Nabataean civilization.
Known as “Hanat,” the Nabataean woman is believed to have been a prominent woman who died around the first century BC and lay for more than 2,000 years in a Turkish cemetery in Saudi Arabia.
The reconstruction is on display at the Hajar Welcome Center in AlUla from Monday, 15 years after Hajar was listed as Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.
The Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU) expects many important developments in the coming years, as the painstaking work of archeology in the Al-Ula region diligently reveals the secrets of the past.
Archaeologists found it in a well-preserved tomb in a mountain spur containing the remains of perhaps 80 people – many of them probably related – on the outskirts of Al-Hajar.
Hinat appears to have been a woman of some wealth and social standing, who died in the first century BC.
Her skeleton was more complete than most in the tomb, and so in 2019 she was selected for a facial reconstruction project.
The Nabateans settled Hegra in the first century BC, having expanded south from Petra into what is now northwest Saudi Arabia, where they made their fortunes as traders in frankincense, spices, and other luxury goods. Their cultural heritage is highlighted by the elaborate tombs they carved into the sandstone cliffs in stone.
When it came to the reconstruction process, the project involved archaeologists, anthropologists, forensic reconstruction experts, and a 3D sculptor.
The science team met in London in September 2019 to discuss what Hinat might look like and what she might wear. Then the team wrote a profile with reference photos of her clothes, hair, and jewelry.
In July 2020, the 3D reconstruction was completed and validated by experts; They changed her earrings to match the examples discovered in the stone. Then came the hard work of making molds to create a silicone bust of Hinat’s face.
Specialists added her hair lock by strand, applied makeup, attached earrings, and dressed her in handwoven linen to match the fragments recovered from the tombs in stone.
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