2,000-year-old skeleton of young woman to have 'full-body reconstruction'
The skeleton was found at St Paul Catacombs
A skeleton found in St Paul Catacombs in Rabat is undergoing scientific analysis and full-body reconstruction in a joint project by Heritage Malta and the Eden Leisure Foundation.
The skeleton was discovered during excavations between 2010 and 2015. The remains belong to a woman, aged between 19 and 25, who lived some 2,000 years ago and may have suffered from a degenerative joint disease, Heritage Malta said.
Previous work on the same skeleton included a facial reconstruction undertaken between 2018 and 2021 by a team from the University of Palermo.
The new project builds on this earlier research, expanding it through updated scientific methods and international expertise.
Ancient DNA analysis, carbon dating, and isotope studies are currently underway to support the initiative, alongside high resolution 3D scanning carried out by Heritage Malta’s Technology and Experience Development Unit.
The Eden Leisure Foundation is supporting a full-body forensic reconstruction by Kennis Brothers, internationally recognised for their work on figures such as Ötzi the Iceman and the Tollund Man.
The reconstruction is expected to be completed within four years.
Heritage Malta said artefacts unearthed from this burial helped build a clearer picture of the person’s life and identity. These included pottery dating to the 1st–2nd centuries AD, along with personal items such as a face-shaped pendant, a bronze netting needle, a bone hairpin found behind the skull, and a glass unguentarium placed beside her head.
Once finalised, this life-size model will form part of an enhanced visitor experience at St Paul’s Catacombs.
Heritage Malta and the Eden Leisure Foundation had previously collaborated in the restoration of an 18th-century carriage, now part of the permanent display at the Grand Master’s Palace.