Brazilian graphic designer Cicero Moraes used 3D modeling to recreate the appearance of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BC with astonishing accuracy.
This gives us a glimpse of what Ramses II looked like in the last days of his life, when he was in his 90s.
The facial reconstruction was carried out using computed tomography of the skull of Ramses II and modern facial reconstruction techniques, and the result shown is a three-dimensional model.
This portrait depicts a pharaoh with a long face with a high forehead and a slightly narrower chin.
As a wealthy and powerful man of his time, Ramses II ruled for many years and went down in history as one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs.
Cicero Moraes emphasized:
Our research reveals the face of a pharaoh who ruled Egypt for more than 60 years and left an indelible mark on history.
Scientists use hundreds of data sources, including DNA and anthropometric studies, to provide an accurate and realistic portrait.
In the image, we see the face of an old man who has been weathered. Its distinctive exterior features are also evident on the surviving giant statues of Ramses II, some of which still stand in Egypt today.
"It turned out that the facial features of the statue were somewhat different from the real face of the pharaoh, and we tried to make the reconstruction as credible as possible, and at the same time, to show the wisdom and authority that Ramses II had in his later years," says Moraes.
The team encountered a number of problems in recreating the pharaoh's appearance.
For example, Ramses II's face and teeth were severely worn, indicating poor health in his later years, as well as significant overbites.
They carried out a very extensive analysis, comparing the reconstructed faces with the statues of Ramses II, with the aim of understanding the reliability of these statues.
The truth is not quite what is thought, the statue of Ramses II has a thinner forehead and more pronounced lips and chin.
The team also analysed anthropometric data and DNA data from the ancient Egyptian population, and even used data from an old study (1976) conducted on the remains of a pharaoh's mummy found in 1881.
Everything indicates that the population is very heterogeneous and difficult to standardize.
Moraes' results are similar to those rebuilt in 2022 by Sahar Salim of Cairo University and Carolyn Wilkinson of Liverpool John Moores University.
They also used a 3D model of the skull, reversing the aging process, turning back nearly half a century and showing the face of the pharaoh in his heyday.
The result is a "handsome" ruler with a prominent nose and a strong chin.