Lost face of Egypt’s ‘greatest pharaoh’ Ramesses II reconstructed by scientists after scanning ancient mummy skull
THE face of ancient Egypt’s most powerful pharaoh can be seen for the very first time since he walked the Earth 3000 years ago.
Ramesses II, who reigned in the 13th century BC, is known for his military victories and revolutionary building projects like the iconic Abu Simbel.
The legend also shockingly goes down in history for having over 200 wives and 100 children.
Now he is visible to the modern world as his ancient, mummified skull has been used by scientists to recreate his face at his age of death -sitting at around an astonishing 90 years old.
Scientists say Ramesses II’s had poor dental health with significantly worn teeth and a pronounced overbite.
The ruler also apparently had bad bone health due to an abscess that would’ve cause him a lot of pain.
The fascinating study further found his muscles to be quite weak from old age, and strangely pointed out that he would’ve had very pronounced veins on his forehead.
Cicero Moraes, the Brazilian graphics expert behind the new recreation, called Ramesses’ face “wise”.
But reconstructions like this are renowned for being fairly unreliable due to the delicacy of the mummy’s skin and being thousands of years old.
Scientists therefore have to pull inspiration from other areas to recreate the face, which Mr Moraes explained:
“In the present study we carried out a very broad analysis, comparing the reconstructed face with statues of Ramesses II.
“The objective was to understand to what extent the statues are reliable, as many imagine that compatibility would be good.
“But we saw that this is not the case – the statues indicate good compatibility with the shape of the nose and even, in some situations, with the shape of the face.
“But generally the forehead is more delicate, and the lips and chin are more pronounced in the statues, which makes them insufficiently reliable.
He said: “We also analysed anthropometric and DNA data from ancient Egyptian populations, and all paths seem to point to a population made up of many elements that are difficult to standardise.”
Mr Morae’s added that “freedom of expression” was a large part of the job.
To complete the recreation, different approaches were tried and tested.
One technique involved using data from modern Egyptians to reveal the likely thickness of the pharaoh’s skin at different points across the skull.
Another was anatomical deformation, where the face and skull of a living donor with similar features like the overbite were altered to match the pharaoh’s dimensions.
The end result used these techniques before then ageing the recreation and adding extras like clothing.
Michael Habicht, an archaeologist at Flinders University in Australia said the reconstruction was helped by the careful way in which the mummy was preserved.
He said: “Its condition is very good, it was restored in 1976 in Paris after fungi – aspergillus flavus – was discovered.”
Mr Moraes also said he was proud with how Ramesses turned out.
He said: “We feel very happy, honoured and with a sense of duty accomplished.”
Who was Ramesses II?
LABELLED as Egypt's most powerful pharaoh, Ramesses II is a pinnacle of ancient history.
Ramesses II was pharaoh during Egypt’s golden age where he was a successful military leader and conducted building projects that are still visible today.
His 66-year reign is said to be the height of Egypt’s strength and glory.
The pharaoh because the third king of the 19th Dynasty at the young age of 25.
Rameses claimed Egyptian control over the Levant in the east and Nubia to the south.
One of his shining moments was the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC.
Rameses was victorious against the Hittites – the enemies of the Egyptians.
The treaty signed after the battle is thought to be the first written peace treaty ever between foreign powers.
This brought Egypt an unprecedented era of power and hope that continued until his death when he was in his 90s.
Ramesses was also famous for shockingly having over 200 wives and 100 children.