Respectus had no idea that nearly 2,000 years later, his broken nose and worn-out bones would still be remembered. But thanks to scientists in Budapest, Hungary, his face is back — and it's looking right at you.
At the Aquincum Museum, a new exhibition called "Once we were like you" has brought together 16 facial reconstructions of people who lived in the ancient Roman city of Aquincum, which once bustled along the Danube River. Visitors can now come face-to-face with a blacksmith, a soldier, a stable boy, a slave — and yes, Respectus the construction worker — all reconstructed from old skulls using modern science.
Archaeologists Loránt Vass and Péter Vámos, the exhibition's co-curators, worked with a team that studied DNA from buried bones to figure out details like skin color, hair color, eye color, and even whether someone had freckles. They also examined skulls to learn about face shape, age, injuries, and diseases.
"Our main goal was to bring a few of these individuals closer to the people of today," Vass said.
The team then gave these nameless people names and stories based on what the science revealed. Respectus, for example, earned his living plastering walls and splitting stone blocks. The hard work wore down his body, and the exhibit explains that a fight in a tavern left him with a broken nose and a missing tooth.
Six of the reconstructions are made from silicon — painted and carefully dressed with realistic hair, clothing, and jewelry — and they can be seen from every angle, just like a living person standing in the room.
"The advantage of this kind of reconstruction is that it can be displayed in a museum, it can be viewed from all angles and is totally life-size," said Emese Gábor, who handcrafted the models.
The skulls tell a sobering story. Nearly all of them show signs of heavy inflammation — evidence of hard labor, poor nutrition, and difficult lives. Vass said this suggests most of these people belonged to the lower middle class, "the least remembered segment of Roman society."
"We don't even know their names, unfortunately, but we tried to incorporate everything that anthropology and genetic studies could tell us about their life history," Vámos said.
The exhibition runs through October 31. For anyone who visits, it offers a rare chance to look into the eyes of someone who once lived, worked, and dreamed — just like us.