In 2003, the graves of 11 individuals from the Early Bronze Age were found in two grave groups at the Balatonkeresztúr-Réti-dűlő site during excavations along the route of motorway M7 in Hungary. One of these graves (no. 13) belonged to a woman aged 35–45 at the time of her death. Her skull was preserved in very good condition, providing the basis for the first facial reconstruction of a Bronze Age woman in Hungary, completed in 2022.

The creators behind the science communication project “Click on Science” at the ELTE Research Centre for the Humanities shot a short film about how archaeologists, anthropologists, restorers and archaeogeneticists worked together to reveal the facial features of a woman who lived 4000 years ago. DNA analyses were coordinated by Dániel Gerber, research fellow at the Institute of Archaeogenomics, who also contributed his own archival footage to the popular science film.

The film follows all the different phases through which the facial reconstruction achieved its final form. In addition to unique anatomical features, genetic data also played an important role in this process, primarily in determining the colour of the eyes and hair and the skin tone.

Watch the short film with English subtitles on the YouTube channel of the ELTE Research Centre for the Humanities: