500 year old face brought 'back to life'

The face of a Jersey teenager, who died approximately 500 years ago has been seen once more, thanks to remarkable technology.

Archaeologists are calling her SK43, as she was the 43rd skeleton dug up during the building of a new toilet at St Lawrence Church. The remains are from one of 50 found, but was the only skull in tact.

On finding the bones, bio-archaeologist Rosalind Le Quesne said it was unusual to find a skull in such good condition.

Her head and shoulders were taken for analysis. Experts measured 25 points on the skull to determine her age, sex and race. Through figuring out her diet and fleshing out the contours of her face, London based forensic artist Tim Widden was able to create a picture of what she looked like.

Experts measured 25 points on the skull to determine her age, sex and race. Credit: Tim Widden

From the bones, experts can tell that the 16th century teenager has a poor diet, with no meat or dairy. It was likely she ground wheat using stone tools, as damage to her molars shows she probably had grit in her bread.

From the bones, experts can tell that the 16th century teenager has a poor diet, with no meat or dairy. Credit: Tim Widden

The facial reconstruction software is usually used to age missing people and give an idea of what they might look like years later.

The St Lawrence collection still being examined, but when they've finished they'll rebury the bones, according to the customs in the 1500s.

  • WATCH: Katie Chiang meets the bio-archeologist who brought SK43 back to life.