Eye to Eye with the Man from Lepenski Vir from March 4 at the National Museum in Belgrade (VIDEO)

Following the global premiere at Expo 2020 Dubai and the great attention from the world public and media, the “Prehistoric MetaHuman” project, a virtual revival of the prehistoric man from Lepenski Vir, will premiere for the local public on March 4 at the National Museum in Belgrade.

The visitors to the museum will be part of the science and digital revolution, since this is an innovative project of Serbian scientists and innovators, realized with the help of the national platform Serbia Creates.

For the first time in the history of mankind, a faithful digital representation of the face of a prehistoric man from Lepenski Vir has been animated and “revived” with the help of the top Metahuman technology, developed in Serbia.

The search for information about how prehistoric people lived and what they looked like has been occupying the attention of scientists and the general public for decades now. A group of scientists and innovators from Serbia, led by professor Dr Sofija Stefanovic, has finally provided an answer to this question.

Based on an analysis of the excavated bones, a realistic 3D model of the skull of the prehistoric man was first made, and then, with the help of the top MetaHuman technology, developed by a local gaming company, and the Unreal Engine software, the prehistoric man virtually “came to life”. The team developed an entirely revolutionary approach to the use of data that can be gotten by analyzing ancient human skeletal remains and created a digital biokinetic facial model.

Scientist Sofija Stefanovic, the creative ambassador of the national platform Serbia Creates, whose idea lies behind the realization of this project, explains this remarkable achievement:

– We used a new technology called “Digital Ancient People”, which combines a range of different methods for the preparation of a scientifically based osteobiography of ancient people. The methods entail the most modern protocols for studying bones, and we used those data to support the physical reconstruction of the face based on the bones of the skull. What followed was the transport of the reconstructed face to the digital biokinetic model which simulates his facial gesticulation.

This innovation from Serbia has already drawn huge attention from the world media and the expert public, points out Ana Ilic, the senior adviser of the prime minister of Serbia for creative industries and tourism, who leads the team of the Serbia Creates platform, with whose support this important innovation was realized.

– This incredible combination of science and gaming industry, which is thriving in Serbia, will have an impact and be reflected in many other branches of creative industries, primarily in the production of video content, but also in education, museology.

That is the mission and the aim advocated by the Serbia Creates platform – the development and support to a multidisciplinary approach, cooperation in innovations and creative industries, support to talents, but also presenting Serbia in the world as a modern and innovative country. I am very grateful to our creative ambassadors who have recognized us as a reliable partner and who, through this discovery, have put Serbia among the most innovative countries of the world – Ilic points out.

Narodni muzej Beograd

Vlada Republike Srbije

Sofija Stefanović

Ana Ilić

Prehistoric MetaHuman

Expo 2020 Dubai

virtual revival of the prehistoric man from Lepenski Vir

lepenski Vir

Serbia Creates

MetaHuman technology

prehistory

3D model of the skull of the prehistoric man

Digital Ancient People

studying bones

facial gesticulation