'Bess' Reconstructed
The Reconstruction Guidelines
Posted on 04/28/2005 11:56:04 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The face of "Bess," an Egyptian woman who died 3,000 to 3,500 years ago, is once again visible as technology brings to life what an artist's hand used to.
"The Egyptians obviously put a huge amount of effort into preparing their bodies for eternal life," said Stephen Humphries, director of business development at Medical Modeling LLC of Golden, Colo., where the reconstruction took place.
"Thanks to the technology that they developed to preserve their bodies over thousands of years, and to modern computer and manufacturing technology, it might be true that 'Bessy' has achieved eternal life."
Bess was five feet tall and died between 25 and 35. She was likely from a wealthy family, said Marianne Reynolds, director of exhibits at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where the mummy and the reconstruction now are on display.
"We have claimed her a rich woman because of the way she was mummified," Reynolds told Discovery News. "Her organs were removed, wrapped in linen bundles, and placed inside her body; she has gold foil covering the incision, a couple of amulets placed inside her, and her brain was removed.
"She was wrapped well in several layers of linen, so there has been very little disruption to her skeleton, and finally, her mummy was covered with resin to preserve it. All of these things are indications of wealth," she said.
The woman's face was modeled in a four-step process that began in 1998. High-resolution CT scans, which captured detailed visual slices every millimeter, were stacked together to create a virtual three-dimensional model of the subject.
Next, digital multidimensional files representing Bess' bone and skin surfaces were created. To do this, researchers arranged markers at lengths representing the depth of flesh over the bone at certain key areas on the virtual skull. "Digital clay" then was formed around the markers.
For the third, and most unusual, step, the digital models were sent to a Z-corp 3-D printer. This high-tech machine uses inkjet technology to print layers of liquid binder onto plaster powder. The final physical model consists of thousands of such layers stacked together.
Finally, medical illustrator Travis Vermilye and the research team painted the plaster models using photographic references of modern Egyptian women as a guide. This step might have involved the greatest artistic license, since current techniques cannot reveal Bess' exact skin tone.
"One of the interesting aspects of this case is that we did this all virtually; traditional techniques rely on physically sculpting clay to a model of a skull, but we used computer design tools to do this," Humphries said.
"Using computer techniques for this has a few key benefits. Just like using a word processor instead of a typewriter, making changes or experimenting with subtle differences was easier since we weren't working on a one-of-a-kind piece."
The process also was noninvasive and did not damage the actual mummy.
Step 2:
Step 3:
Process complete:
Bess looks more like a Less
LOL!!!!!
In todays world that wealth would have been spent on plastic surgery to improve her looks which certainly needed improving.
LMAO.....Too funny....
There has to be a reason that all of these people look so much alike?
Yeah, it's always the same person recreating the faces. It's the recreator's dad & mum.
Seriously, maybe peoples of Phoenician/Egyptian origin were the first to land in the Americas.
No hair?
However, the middle picture of Bess looks nothing like Kennewick Man and Spirit Cave man.
They're all anscestors of Patrick Stewart.
I personally believe that people scattered all across the face of the world before the continents were split, so that's why the "general" (not identical) looks of those three are similar.
Madison10, your same thought occurred to me though. I've noticed in forensic science that individual sculptors have similar looks in their skull recreations.
UglyBiker, wouldn't it be fun to compare the DNA of Kennewick Man with Patrick? If it matched, wouldn't that be a hoot! Makes me laugh just to think about it!
I don't know.. But I found another one...
There were no humans when the continents split. Africa and South America started splitting 120 million years ago.
You mean like this guy:
DNA sample links 2 men, 9,000 years apart
July 31, 1997
Web posted at: 3:40 p.m. EDT (1940 GMT)
CHEDDAR, England (CNN) -- Adrian Targett is a regular guy in Cheddar, a schoolteacher. His extended family is another matter -- real cavemen, some of them.
Or at least, thousands of years ago they were. Targett learned recently that he is the direct descendant of a man who lived 9,000 years ago, and whose bones were found at the turn of the century in Cheddar's famous caves.
Scientists compared the DNA from one of Cheddar Man's molars to that of scrapings taken from the mouths of 20 local Cheddarites, and Targett was a match.
That's exactly the story I had in mind.
That's where you and I "split". LOL
I believe the continents split apart in Peleg's day four generations after Noah.
"And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided ... -Genesis 10:25
(In fact, Peleg means "division".)
Hey, maybe HE's the prehistoric one - not the others. He's just in a time warp. (grin)
Had Kerry won, she'd be the First Lady today.
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