SCIENTISTS have reconstructed the face of a teenage girl who died more than 9,000 years ago.

The Mesolithic teen probably died some time around 2,000 BC, but has been recreated using advanced 3D scanning and modelling technology.

The long-dead teenager has masculine features, which experts say was common for women thousands of years ago

Detailed mapping of the original skull helped researchers re-imagine what our distant ancestors really looked like

Dawn was first discovered in a cave in 1993, and was named Avgi – the Greek word for Dawn – because she lived during what some consider to be the dawn of civilisation.

Researchers took CT scans of Dawn’s skull, and then used a 3D printer to make an exact replica for measurements.

Speaking to National Geographic, Oscar Nilsson, a Swedish archaeologist and sculptor who worked on the project, said that he glued “pegs” onto the copy, to reflect the “thickness of the flesh at certain anatomical points of the face”.

The result is a slightly masculine female with a noticeable scowl.

‘Dawn’ is believed to have walked the earth around the year 7,000 BCCredit: Reuters. Archaeologists discover centuries-old British and Dutch ships off coast in Yucatan Peninsula

Orthodontics professor Manolis Papagrikorakis, who created a silicone reconstruction of her face, joked to Reuters: “It’s not possible for her not to be angry during such an era.”

According to Nilsson, people generally looked less feminine as you move backwards through time.

“Having reconstructed a lot of Stone Age women and men, I think some facial features seem to have disappeared or ‘smoothed out’ with time.”

“In general, we look less masculine, both men and women, today.”

Sculptors used scanners and 3D printers to build the lifelike

According to historians, Dawn was aged between 15 and 18 years old when she died, based on an analysis of her bones and teeth.

Dawn has an obvious protruding jaw, which is believed to be caused by chewing on animal skins to turn them into a soft leather.

Thessaly’s Theopetra cave, where she was discovered, is said to have been first inhabited around 100,000 years ago.

Archaeologists have found a host of rare artefacts in the cave, including stone tools and pottery from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.

Dawn is currently on display the Acropolis Museum in Athens, so it’s worth stopping by if you’re in the area – and you’re not put off by her grimace.