The desire to look into the past is no less interesting to people than to know what awaits them in the future. And modern technologies in this business are always in a hurry to help!
Well, only recently the anthropologists shocked us by showing how the historical characters really looked after the reconstruction of their appearance , and today they literally ... encroached on the sacred, because the new challenge to get to the truth were the remains that belonged to Mary Magdalene herself!
It is noteworthy that Mary Magdalene is one of the few biblical characters whose burial place is known. It was discovered as early as 1280 by monks during the construction of the Dominican monastery in Saint-Bom, which was in the south of France at the insistence of King Charles II of Naples.
Basilica of Mary Magdalene in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Boom
Then, in the marble sarcophagus, they saw not only relics, but also a note saying: "This is the body of the blessed Mary Magdalene." Thanks to the accompanying text, it was found that the remains were here because of the fear of losing them after the Saracens invasion. Before that, they were resting in another tomb, into which Mary Magdalene was placed immediately after she left for another world.
Entrance to the Basilica of Mary Magdalene in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Boom
Since then and to the present day the location of the relics is the church of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Boom in Provence, where, in particular, Mary Magdalene's skull is kept.
Sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Boom
Philippe Charlier, a professor of anthropology at the University of Versailles, and Philippe Frosch, forensic physician, were allowed to investigate it, but, like all scientists, they left the right to doubt the truth of the find, but most of all they wanted to take it out of the anonymity shadow.
Reliquary with the tibia of Mary Magdalene
So, bypassing the glass case, Charlier and Frosch made more than 500 shots of the skull at different angles. Based on these photographs, they were able to create a three-dimensional computer model of the face that showed such characteristics as the size of the skull, the shape of the cheekbones and the structure of the facial bones. The shape of the nose and other signs were determined based on the age, sex and ethnicity of the skull. The photographs of the hair confirmed that the woman had a dark chestnut color, and the skin tone was determined on the basis of the tones typical for Mediterranean women. Most importantly, studies have shown that Mary Magdalene died at the age of 50.
Want to see what they have? Well, then hold your breath ...
According to Frosch, the entire reconstruction process was developed on the basis of judicial methods, which are used by the FBI to investigate crimes. Today, scientists hope that they will be allowed to conduct DNA tests on the remains to determine the geographical origin and restore the whole body, taking as a basis the femoral and costal bones.
Recall that the mystery of the personality of Mary Magdalene and to this day is a matter of dispute.
According to the Gospel text, the Orthodox Church considers it exclusively as a Myrrh-bearer, cured of the seven demons that followed Christ, was present at His Crucifixion and was the first of the people to receive the Resurrection of Jesus. In the Catholic Church, Mary Magdalene is identified with the image of a repenting harlot. Well, according to the third (apocryphal) version, it is called the secret wife of Jesus Christ.