Recreated the face of Pharaoh Ramses II at 90
Researchers have concluded that ancient Egyptian statues are not very reliable when it comes to imagining the real appearance of those they represent.
Brazilian designer Cícero Moraes, who specializes in forensic facial reconstruction, together with Swiss archaeologist Michael Habicht, recreated the face of Ramses II, showing what he might have looked like at about 90 years old.
The work (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26117353) was based on open data and reference images that included 3D models of the Egyptian pharaoh's skull.
"The goal was to understand to what extent the statues are reliable, since many assume that the compatibility would be good,"
Moraes explained to the Sun. Although the statues "indicate a good compatibility with the shape of the nose and also, in some situations, with the shape of the face," this is not the case with the forehead, which is "more delicate," or the lips and chin, which "in the statues are more pronounced, making them insufficiently reliable," he noted.
Researchers have also analyzed the anthropometric and DNA data of ancient Egyptian populations and concluded that there were many elements difficult to standardize. The freedom of 'expression played an important part in the work, where scientists had to choose a color palette to visualize the unknown skin tone of the pharaoh.
Based on the features of the reconstructed face, Moraes believes that Ramses II was a "wise" person. Habicht, on his part, highlighted the good condition in which the Egyptian mummy was preserved, which facilitated the reconstruction.
"Its condition is very good; it was restored in 1976 in Paris after the discovery of the Aspergillus flavus fungus,"
he commented.
Ramses II, commonly known as Ramses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty during the New Kingdom. His reign (1279-1213 BC) is often regarded as the most celebrated in the history of ancient Egypt and was characterized by military campaigns and significant construction projects.
