engleski

Facial reconstruction of mummified remains of Christian Saint-Nicolosa Bursa

In addition to forensic science, facial reconstruction also plays an outstanding role in the historical and archaeological context. Precisely, it the most exact method to reconstruct the appearance of the people that lived in the past and a popular way of presenting results not only to scientific community but also to a broader public. The main purpose of this study was to reconstruct the appearance of Saint-Nicolosa Bursa, a Christian saint whose mummified remains are kept in Church of Saint-Blaise in Vodnjan (Croatia). The additional aims were to validate the methodology and to provide a realistic model of the Saint's face that could be used for exhibition and presentation of the research results to a broader public. The mummified remains of the saint were scanned with multislice computed tomography (MSCT). The MSCT images were used to develop a skull model which was 3D printed and used for facial reconstruction. The facial appearance recovery was accomplished using the Manchester method by the progressive layering of clay on the ABS model according to the anthropometric data, specific for sex, age, and ancestry. After the clay model was done, it was used to create a realistic gypsum sculpture appropriate for the presentation of results on exhibition. When the model was compared to the photographs of the mummified remains of the Saint, it showed to be consistent in all facial traits that could be considered. Unfortunately, additional data were not available due to the preservation degree of soft tissue remains as well as the lack of pictorial or written sources about the appearance of the Saint. However, this research showed, that although the facial reconstruction is always only an approximation of the actual person's appearance, it is essential in historical context as an only existing method that can show us how a certain historical figure could look. In the present study, it enabled us to conduct the first reconstruction of the appearance of the Saint from the mummified remains and develop sculpture that will be used for exhibition and presentation of results.

Saint-Nicolosa ; Manchester method ; Facial reconstruction ; Mummy ; MSCT ; 3D printing

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