Neolithic girl's reconstructed face to be unveiled at Athens Acropolis Museum

An 18-year-old girl who lived in Greece 7,000 BC and was unearthed by archaeologists in Theopetra cave, near the city of Trikala, has had her face reconstructed and will be revealed at the Acropolis Museum on January 19.

"Avgi" is the newest reconstruction by a team under University of Athens Professor of Orthodontics, Manolis Papagrigorakis, and follows that of "Myrtis" (pictured above and below) the girl that died during the plague in Athens in the 5th century BC. Myrtis was exhibited in 2010 and became an international sensation.

The Acropolis Museum is now ready to introduce Dawn’s new face from an even earlier past, to Greek and international audiences. Avgi was named after "the Dawn of civilization", as the woman whose skull provided the basis for the reconstruction lived at the time human beings transitioned from food collectors to food cultivators.

The reconstruction of Avgi's face involved several medical specialties, including an endocrinologist, an orthopedic, a neurologist, a pathologist and a radiologist. The team also collaborated with Swedish sculptor Oscar Nilsson, whose studio specialises in historical body reconstructions.

Her discovery and reconstruction are expected to greatly enhance the current understanding of Greece’s history and culture. Her “unveiling” will come as part of the seminar “Dawn at the Dawn of Civilisation”, to take place on January 19, 2018, at the Acropolis Museum’s amphitheatre, open to the public and at no extra charge.