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They died of infectious diseases and childbirth in medieval Edinburgh, some 600 years ago.

But now the skeletons of almost 400 men, women and children, whose remains were unearthed in a cemetery five years ago, have been brought back to life thanks to digital faces created by forensic artists.

By examining the remains, experts from the University of Dundee have revealed how the individuals lived and died, as well as that they would have looked like.

Experts from the University of Dundee have reconstructed the faces of Medieval Scots living in Edinburgh and Leith using chemical analysis and cutting edge computer equipment. This boy was aged between 13 and 17 when he died and could have been a patient at a medieval hospital

The graves of 390 people were discovered in the grounds of South Leith Parish Church in 2009, when work was underway for Edinburgh's new tramline.

They date from between the 15th and the 18th century and were found beneath Constitution Street. It has taken scientists five years to put a face to some of the medieval Scots.

Archaeologist John Lawson told Edinburgh Evening News: 'We have had a forensic pathology report done on all of the remains and that is allowing us to gain information about the population.'

Among the skeletons was one of a boy who died aged between 13 and 17 in around 1400.

The date of his death indicates that he could have been a patient at a medieval hospital on the site, or one of the first burials associated with Leith Parish Church, Culture 24 reported.

Scientists used forensic modelling to work out the shape of facial muscles and tissues, before using a computer programme to rebuild the people's faces. This is the face of a a woman aged between 25 and 35 whose body was buried in a mass grave with two others and a child

The graves of 390 people were discovered in the grounds of South Leith Parish Church in 2009. They date from between the 15th and the 18th century and were found beneath Constitution Street marked on the map). It has taken scientists five years to put a face to some of the medieval Scots

The face of a man who died before his 35th birthday between the mid-16th and mid-17th century was also reconstructed.

Strontium and Isotopic analysis was used to determine the lifestyle of the people.

Scientists used forensic modelling to work out the shape of facial muscles and tissues, before using a computer programme to rebuild the people's faces, which look strikingly modern.

The face of a man who died before his 35th birthday between the mid 16th and mid 17th century was also reconstructed (pictured)

Forensic artist Paloma Joana Galzi was involved in the project. She specialises in facial recognition and reconstruction, post-mortem sketches and studied Forensic Arts in Scotland, which is the only place in the world to offer this specific qualification and training.

Together with other experts, she reconstructed the face of a woman aged between 25 and 35 whose body was buried in a mass grave with two others and a child.

It is likely that she was a victim of a disease that swept the city and was curiously 1.5 inches shorter than the average woman of the time, at 4ft 11 inches.

Mr Lawson explained that most of the dead would have been victims of disease and some women would have died in childbirth.

Around 90 per cent of the medieval population died before they were 45.

Dr Kate Britton, of Aberdeen University, who was also involved in the project, said chemical analysis shows that four in five of the victims were local to Leith or Edinburgh and ate a diet mostly made up of dairy and meat.

Mr Lawson told STV: 'The results have shed new light on the lives of the medieval population in one of Scotland's largest and most important ports.'

'It has allowed us to highlight the lives of the ordinary person in Leith, by putting a face to these individuals and showing how they lived and died.'

Edinburgh's Old Town and Leith both have Medieval buildings, including parts of the famous castle which was a residence at the time. This is a view towards Leith and the Firth of Forth from Carlton Hill in the city