Graphics experts have recreated the face of a pharaoh who founded the Valley of the Kings and rewrote the history of ancient Egypt.
Amenhotep I, the second ruler of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, is believed to have died 3,500 years ago, around the age of 35, before being carefully preserved through mummification.
He was the first to be buried in the Valley of the Kings, the resting place of almost all the pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties.
He was worshiped as a god after his death, mainly because he ushered Egypt into a new era of peace and prosperity during his reign.
Brazilian graphic designer Cicero Moraes digitally reconstructed Amenhotep’s image, revealing his face for the first time in 3,500 years.
Cicero Morares, a Brazilian 3D designer who specializes in forensic facial reconstruction, created these images by combining faces created using a variety of methods.
One method was to distribute soft tissue thickness markers across the pharaoh’s skull, guided by computed tomography (CT) data from living donors.
Another was a technique called anatomical warping, in which a digital recreation of a donor’s head was adjusted until the skull matched that of the pharaoh.
This method was made possible by CT scans of Amenhotep’s skull that were performed in 2021.
That work, conducted by paleoradiologist Sahar N. Saleem of Cairo University and Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, ‘virtually unwrapped’ Amenhotep’s mummified remains using a CT scan and revealed details of his appearance, skeletal structure, and some preserved internal organs. , including your heart and brain.
The scans did not indicate the cause of death, but estimated the age of death at approximately 35 years and suggested that he suffered a series of post-mortem injuries “probably inflicted by grave robbers or by the embalmers who rewrapped the mummy later.” “, said. Morares’ co-author, archaeologist Michael Habicht of Flinders University in Australia.
It also showed that Amenhotep was about five and a half feet tall, his teeth were in good condition and he had curly hair, Habicht added.
Once Morares revealed the face of the pharaoh, he noticed that it did not match the god who had been represented in the statues.
Many mummies, such as that of Amenhotep I, show an overbite. But this is usually not reflected in a compatible way in statues.
“By crossing the data from all the projections, we generated the final bust and complemented the structure with historical costume,” said Morares.
Once Morares revealed the face of the pharaoh, he noticed that it did not match the god who had been represented in the statues.
“Many mummies, such as that of Amenhotep I, show retrognathism or an overbite, and this is generally not reflected in a compatible way in statues,” he said.
The mummy of Amenhotep I, the first to be buried in the Valley of the Kings
Experts led by Cairo University use computed tomography (CT) scans to create 3D reconstructions of Amenhotep I
“Generally speaking, statues of Amenhotep I are supported in the nose region, but more graceful in the glabella region and more projecting in the chin region.”
Amenhotep I The reign followed his father Ahmose I’s expulsion of the Hyksos invaders and the successful reunification of Egypt, and represented a golden age of sorts for ancient Egypt.
Not only was the “New Kingdom” prosperous and secure, but Amenhotep I also oversaw a wave of religious construction and successful military campaigns against Libya and northern Sudan.
“Under the peaceful rule of Amenhotep I, the rise of Egypt began and the heyday of the New Kingdom began,” Habicht said.
Amenhotep’s name meant “Amun is satisfied,” referring to the ancient Egyptian god of air.
Morares and Habicht’s digital reconstruction offers a unique look at the face of this famous king. It was made possible by the Egyptologists who paved the way for this work.
‘This work was not done only by us, but by all those who seriously studied and study ancient Egypt, always sharing information,’ Morares stated.