Jebel Irhoud Hominin Face Reconstructed in 3D

Scientists have created a digital facial approximation of the Jebel Irhoud hominin, whose remains are estimated to be approximately 315,000 years old.

The Jebel Irhoud fossil discovery

In the early 1960s, workers extracting minerals at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco discovered a skull with strikingly human features.

The fossil, named Irhoud 1, was initially identified as a variant of an African Neanderthal from approximately 40,000 years ago.

Subsequent dating studies estimated the age of the discovery at between 100,000 and 200,000 years in 1991, and approximately 160,000 years in 2007.

In 2017, two studies reclassified the remains associated with Irhoud 1 as Homo sapiens. Their age was estimated at approximately 315,000 years, making them the oldest known representatives of our species.

Building a composite 3D skull

In 2017, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) published image and video data for a three-dimensional digital reconstruction of the Jebel Irhoud skull, according to corresponding author Dr Johari Yap Abdullah, a researcher at Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Savitha Malaysia, and colleagues.

“The three-dimensional model in question constitutes a composite skull structured through the spatial integration of multiple specimens excavated from the same stratigraphic unit,” the researchers said.

The MPI-EVA model is dominated by the Irhoud 1 fossil, which was discovered in 1961 and forms the braincase and upper surface of the composite skull.

The mandible of another individual, Irhoud 11, and fragments from other specimens were used to fill in the missing sections.

“Irhoud 1 serves as the main framework of the model, ensuring the anatomical integrity and volumetric orientation of the composite skull, while Irhoud 11, Irhoud 10, Irhoud 21, and Irhoud 22 serve as structural completion elements. They all originate from the same population, the same archaeological layer, and are anatomically compatible with each other,” the researchers explained.

How scientists reconstructed the face

Using data from the MPI-EVA release, the team built a three-dimensional model of a synthetic Irhoud skull through photogrammetry.

The researchers then reshaped CT scans of modern adult donors to match the model. They used a technique called constrained anatomical deformation and applied soft-tissue thickness data obtained from people of African descent.

As a byproduct of this method, the volume of the brain cavity was estimated at 1,364 milliliters. This is consistent with a 2018 measurement taken directly from CT scans of the fossil, which measured 1,375 milliliters. Both measurements fall within the range observed in modern humans.

“Several studies on Irhoud 1’s endocranial membrane have been carried out over the last few decades and have shown that its volume ranges from 1,305 to 1,480 milliliters,” the scientists said.

Two versions of the Jebel Irhoud facial approximation

The team created two image sets. The first is a neutral grayscale rendering without hair, designed to show how the reconstructed face relates to the underlying bones.

The second is a color version featuring skin tone, hair, and a beard. This depiction is artistic and interpretive: its skin pigmentation, lighting, and hair are not based on direct fossil evidence but reflect practices informed by studies of ancient and modern populations.

“Our study demonstrated the feasibility and reproducibility of forensic facial approximation and morphometric analysis of Jebel Irhoud hominins based on three-dimensional composite skull data,” the authors said.

“By presenting our results through two complementary approaches—a neutral grayscale version focused on anatomical rigor and a colorful artistic depiction—we successfully bridged the requirements for scientific accuracy and public support.”

“Ultimately, our findings confirm that open-source tools and transparent methodological workflows provide a robust, accessible, and anatomically consistent alternative for paleoanthropological investigation and reconstruction of complex Middle Pleistocene fossil specimens.”

The team’s work was published online on September 13, 2026, in the journal Heritage.

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Cicero Moraes et al. 2026. Digital facial approximation of the Jebel Irhoud composite skull (approximately 315,000 years ago). Heritage 9(9):369; doi: 10.3390/heritage9090369.