The severely deteriorated remains of a newborn from the Copper Age, who lived approximately 5,000 years ago, were discovered during an archaeological dig in Faenza, in the province of Ravenna, bringing back a tiny piece of history from the past. Despite the very damaged condition of conservation, a team of researchers led by the University of Bologna was able to reconstruct important parts of his life, including physical development and genetic ancestry. The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, was conducted by scholars from nine international institutions, including La Sapienza University in Rome, the Universities of Modena and Reggio Emilia, the Ministry of Culture, the Goethe Universität in Frankfurt, and Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. By employing sophisticated methodologies such as dental histology, paleoproteomics, and ancient DNA analysis, researchers were capable of precisely estimating the child's age, which was approximately 17 months, and its gender, which was male. In particular, high-resolution study of dental enamel revealed important information regarding the early phases of development.