A new exhibition in Budapest, Hungary, shows facial reconstructions of people who lived in an ancient Roman city called Aquincum nearly 2,000 years ago. Called "Once we were like you," it runs at the Aquincum Museum until Oct. 31, 2026.

Experts studied DNA from more than a dozen skulls to learn each person's skin, hair, and eye color, and skull shape revealed facial structure, age, injuries, and disease. Curators then invented names, jobs, and life stories. Loránt Vass, an archaeologist and co-curator, said the team wanted to bring these residents closer to today's visitors.

One reconstruction shows a construction worker named Respectus, who plastered walls and cut stone in Aquincum. His nose was broken and a tooth knocked out in a tavern fight. Vass said most skulls showed signs of hard labor and hunger, suggesting most were part of Rome's lower middle class.

Of the 16 reconstructions, six are silicone models decorated with hair, clothing, and jewelry. Emese Gábor, who made them, said artificial intelligence can also create faces, but "they just appear on a screen," while hers can be viewed from every angle in a museum.

"They may have had different life conditions, different social status, but people are people," Vass said. "I don't think that has changed much across history."