See the stunning reconstruction of a Stone Age woman who lived 10,500 years ago in Belgium – 1v1 Video Chat & LIve Streaming & Influencer Subscription

Live Science
Live Science

Search Live Science

View Profile

Planet Earth

Archaeology

Physics & Math

Human Behavior

Science news

Life’s Little Mysteries

Science quizzes

Newsletters

Story archive

‘Spiderwebs’ on Mars
New blood type discovered
NASA ‘zombie’ satellite
‘God King’ mystery solved
Diagnostic dilemma

Recommended reading

Archaeology
Newly discovered ‘ghost’ lineage linked to ancient mystery population in Tibet, DNA study finds

Archaeology
Rare face tattoos on 800-year-old mystery mummy baffle archaeologists

Archaeology
‘It was probably some kind of an ambush’: 17,000 years ago, a man died in a projectile weapon attack in what is now Italy

Archaeology
‘Cone-headed’ skull from Iran was bashed in 6,200 years ago, but no one knows why

Human Evolution
43,000-year-old human fingerprint is world’s oldest — and made by a Neanderthal

Archaeology
Unknown human lineage lived in ‘Green Sahara’ 7,000 years ago, ancient DNA reveals

Archaeology
Human ancestor was in Eurasia nearly 2 million years ago, cut marks on animal bones suggest

Archaeology

See the stunning reconstruction of a Stone Age woman who lived 10,500 years ago in Belgium

Aristos Georgiou

29 June 2025

The detailed reconstruction brings the prehistoric hunter-gatherer to life, revealing an intriguing set of features.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

A reconstruction of the environment that the Margaux woman once inhabited in what is now Belgium’s Meuse Valley region. She lived around 10,500 years ago, during the Mesolithic period.
(Image credit: ©2025 Kennis en Kennis)

Researchers and artists have created a striking facial reconstruction of a Stone Age woman who lived roughly 10,500 years ago in what is now Belgium.

The detailed depiction of the prehistoric hunter-gatherer, known as the “Margaux woman,” is based on various scientific data, including the remains of her skeleton and ancient DNA, according to a statement from Ghent University in Belgium.
The reconstruction — which was produced by the university’s interdisciplinary Regional Outlook on Ancient Migration (ROAM) project, in collaboration with Dutch artists and twin brothers Adrie and Alfons Kennis — reveals an intriguing set of features.

You may like

Newly discovered ‘ghost’ lineage linked to ancient mystery population in Tibet, DNA study finds

Rare face tattoos on 800-year-old mystery mummy baffle archaeologists

‘It was probably some kind of an ambush’: 17,000 years ago, a man died in a projectile weapon attack in what is now Italy

ROAM research has indicated that the hunter-gatherer likely had blue or light eyes and a surprising “medium-toned” skin complexion, project leader Isabelle De Groote, a professor in the Department of Archaeology at Ghent University, told Live Science in an email. This skin tone appears to be slightly lighter than that of most other Western European individuals from the Mesolithic period (or Middle Stone Age) that scientists have studied so far.

Related: 45 amazing facial reconstructions, from Stone Age shamans to King Tut
Comparing her to other individuals who lived in roughly the same time period, such as the iconic Cheddar Man from England, reveals this “subtle but important” difference that highlights the variation already present in post-ice age Western Europe, De Groote said. “The skin pigmentation of the Margaux woman points to greater complexity of skin pigmentation within these populations and that it was more heterogenous than previously thought.”
Cheddar Man belonged to the same Western European hunter-gatherer population as the Margaux woman, according to the statement. Previous research has suggested that he also had blue eyes, although his skin complexion is thought to have been slightly darker. Other members of this hunter-gatherer population shared a similar combination of dark skin and pale eyes.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The facial reconstruction of the Margaux woman on display in June 2025 with Kennis & Kennis in Dinant, Belgium. The model was based on various scientific data, including her skull and ancient DNA. (Image credit: ©2025 Vakgroep Archeologie University Ghent.)
The Margaux woman
The remains of the female hunter-gatherer first came to light in 1988 during an excavation of the Margaux cave near Dinant, in Belgium’s Meuse Valley region. At the time, the genetic analysis techniques that informed the new reconstruction were not available.The research team first scanned the woman’s skull and created a 3D-printed reproduction, De Groote said. The Kennis brothers then used this printed version to model the muscle and skin of the head. They did this using anatomical standards for the region while taking into account the age of the woman. Based on features of her skull, the researchers estimated that she would have been between 35 and 60 years old when she died.

RELATED STORIES

—Neanderthal woman’s face brought to life in stunning reconstruction
—Most ancient Europeans had dark skin, eyes and hair up until 3,000 years ago, new research finds
—Stunning reconstruction reveals warrior and his weapons from 4,000-year-old burial in Siberia
The team deduced her potential eye color and skin complexion using ancient DNA extracted from parts of her skull. They also considered the effect of suntanning to re-create her skin color, given that she likely lived a mobile, outdoor lifestyle.
Although facial reconstructions such as these can provide a fascinating window into the distant past, some elements are open to interpretation.
“Actual skin tone and eye colour is difficult to discern,” De Groote said. “There is no exact answer in ancient DNA.”

Aristos Georgiou

Social Links Navigation
Live Science Contributor

Aristos is a freelance science reporter who has previously worked for Newsweek, IBTimes UK and The World Weekly. He is particularly focused on archaeology and paleontology, although he has covered a wide variety of topics ranging from astronomy and mental health, to geology and the natural world. He holds a joint bachelor’s degree in English and history from the University of Nottingham, and a master’s from City St George’s, University of London.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Newly discovered ‘ghost’ lineage linked to ancient mystery population in Tibet, DNA study finds

Rare face tattoos on 800-year-old mystery mummy baffle archaeologists

‘It was probably some kind of an ambush’: 17,000 years ago, a man died in a projectile weapon attack in what is now Italy

‘Cone-headed’ skull from Iran was bashed in 6,200 years ago, but no one knows why

43,000-year-old human fingerprint is world’s oldest — and made by a Neanderthal

Unknown human lineage lived in ‘Green Sahara’ 7,000 years ago, ancient DNA reveals

Latest in Archaeology

Roman army camp found in Netherlands, beyond the empire’s frontier

Ancient ‘female-centered’ society thrived 9,000 years ago in proto-city in Turkey

‘Thriving and densely-built’: Archaeologists unearth ‘tower’ houses and ceremonial building in ancient Egyptian city of Imet

Indigenous funeral urns discovered on human-made islands in Amazon rainforest

‘God-king’ born from incest in ancient Ireland wasn’t a god or a king, new study finds

40,000-year-old mammoth tusk boomerang is oldest in Europe — and possibly the world

Latest in News

Farthest ‘mini-halo’ ever detected could improve our understanding of the early universe

World’s oldest rocks could shed light on how life emerged on Earth — and potentially beyond

Roman army camp found in Netherlands, beyond the empire’s frontier

Scientists discover rare planet at the edge of the Milky Way using space-time phenomenon predicted by Einstein

Listen to the Andromeda galaxy’s stars played as musical notes in eerie NASA video

Still frame from video footage recorded in the Kvænangen fjords, Norway, in 2024, showing the tongue-nibbling interaction between two free-ranging killer whales.