2,000-Year-Old Woman From St Paul’s Catacombs To Be Recreated In Full-Body Reconstruction

A young woman who lived in Malta around 2,000 years ago is set to be brought back to life through a full-body forensic reconstruction as part of a new project led by Heritage Malta and supported by the Eden Leisure Foundation.

The reconstruction will be based on Skeleton 248, one of the most complete skeletons uncovered during excavations at St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat between 2010 and 2015.

Experts believe the woman died between the ages of 19 and 25 and may have suffered from a degenerative joint disease.

The project builds on previous research, including a facial reconstruction carried out by researchers from the University of Palermo between 2018 and 2021, and will now use the latest scientific techniques to recreate her entire body.

Researchers are currently carrying out ancient DNA analysis, carbon dating, isotope studies and high-resolution 3D scanning to gather as much information as possible about her life.

The full-body reconstruction will be created by the internationally renowned Kennis Brothers, whose previous work includes reconstructions of Ötzi the Iceman and the Tollund Man. The project is expected to take around four years to complete.

Archaeologists also uncovered several personal belongings buried alongside the woman, including pottery dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, a face-shaped pendant, a bronze netting needle, a bone hairpin and a glass unguentarium.

Once completed, the life-size reconstruction will become part of the visitor experience at St Paul’s Catacombs, giving visitors the chance to come face-to-face with someone who lived in Malta two millennia ago.

The initiative follows another recent collaboration between Heritage Malta and the Eden Leisure Foundation, which saw the restoration of an 18th-century carriage now displayed at the Grand Master’s Palace.

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Gabriel Falzon

Gabriel Falzon is a social media executive at Lovin Malta, with a keen interest in digital media, local businesses, and the natural world. Outside of work, you’ll often find him baking up a storm, diving into video games, or exploring the endless corners of YouTube.