Author: Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, researching Greco-Roman antiquity, The University of Melbourne

When we read about the lives of people from the ancient past, we naturally want to know what they looked like. But how do we find this out? In recent years, computer-assisted reconstructions of the faces of famous figures from the Greco-Roman world have become popular. In 2020, for example, a digital artist went viral for using artificial intelligence (AI) technology on the busts of Roman emperors to recreate their faces in a photo-realistic way. How are facial reconstructions done? The simplest form of facial reconstruction involves adding realistic-looking skin, eyes and hair to Greek or Roman busts. Other methods…