Myrtis

In memoriam

Ancient Athenian girl whose remains were discovered during the construction of a metro station in Athens, and whose face was subsequently recreated by researchers. She was born around 440 BC, but her life was tragically cut short when she died at the age of 11, of a plague that was ravaging Athens (now thought to have been typhoid fever). She was thrown into a mass grave along with other victims of the plague. That mass grave was later discovered by accident during excavations for a new subway station in Athens. Among other things, Myrtis' skull was discovered. Researchers successfully recreated her face by making a copy of her skull, and attaching the modelled tissues with pins. The "recreation" of Myrtis' face depicts her with light skin and red hair; however, these traits were added based on guesswork, and these traits can only be verified by further testing. She was found to have dental malocclusion. Myrtis was declared a "friend of the United Nations", and subsequently appeared in a special video during the Covid-19 Pandemic, she herself being the victim of a pandemic. Her skull currently resides at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

Grave location