Facial reconstruction breathes new life into ancient citizens of Sagalassos

A look into the past. It's usually just a metaphor, but archaeologists Jeroen Poblome and Sam Cleymans have made it a physical reality. Together with the University of Burdur, Turkey, they have reconstructed the faces of two centuries-old residents of Sagalassos. For over thirty years, KU Leuven researchers have been examining the archaeological site of Sagalassos with an international and interdisciplinary team. Layer by layer, they're reconstructing the past of this ancient city in what is now Turkey. From now on, the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project literally has a face. On the basis of skeletal remains, the researchers have reconstructed two lifelike faces - one of a Roman man (early third century CE) and one of a Middle-Byzantine woman (11th-13th century CE).