Facial reconstruction forensics

A series of forensic reconstructions brought the medieval men, women and children found at a burial ground in Edinburgh eerily to life. This medieval female was found with several other women and children in a communal grave. It is unclear if her death and those buried with her were related to the plague or some other infectious disease. Forensic artists interpreted examinations on the remains of almost men, women and children from the South Leith Parish Church graveyard, which was excavated during preparation work for Edinburgh Trams in None of the graves were created after , with the earliest dated to the 14th century and three-quarters of the burials being complete rather than fragmented.

Facial reconstructions allow us to look eye to eye with our ancient ancestors and relate to them in a way that skeletal remains do not inspire. It can be dehumanizing to look at a bare skull , and many societies consider looking at bodily remains taboo. It can be easy to forget that a skeleton was once a living , breathing person when bones can provoke such a visceral response. Giving a face to the skeletal remains of a human who lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago makes it easier to connect with the past, and it is appealing and engaging to present facial reconstructions to the general public to spark an interest in the societies and people of the past. Advancements in technology mean it has never been easier to reconstruct faces from ancient remains , but the field has been around for a surprisingly long time and the history of facial reconstruction is as fascinating as the art itself. Throughout the 18 th and 19 th centuries there was rapid development in the field of anatomy. The demand for bodies was so high that in Britain the Anatomy Act was passed in in an attempt to put an end to the resurrectionists and body snatchers who were profiting on the high demand for bodies to study.

Forensic facial reconstruction can be used to identify unknown human remains when other techniques fail. Through this article, we attempt to review the different methods of facial reconstruction reported in literature. There are several techniques of doing facial reconstruction, which vary from two dimensional drawings to three dimensional clay models. With the advancement in 3D technology, a rapid, efficient and cost effective computerized 3D forensic facial reconstruction method has been developed which has brought down the degree of error previously encountered.

Skip to search form Skip to main content. Over the past 25 years, many computer-based systems have been developed, and with the recent rapid advances in medical imaging and computer technology, the current systems claim high levels of efficiency, objectivity, and flexibility. View on Springer. Save to Library.