The face of Ancient Egypt's most powerful pharaoh moments before his death has been restored.

«He was a very handsome ruler»

The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, who ruled in the 13th century BC, was the country's greatest ruler, famous for his colossal statues and military exploits during during his reign from 1279 to 1213 BC. Scientists used a 3D model of the ancient ruler's skull, layering it with layers of soft tissue and skin to recreate his appearance at the time of his death, when he was about 90 years old.

Photo: Social networks

The image, similar to a life-size picture, showed a frail elderly man with a weathered face, some of whose features turned out to be similar to the giant statues of Ramesses that still stand in Egypt, writes Daily Mail.

Cicero Moraes, a Brazilian graphic artist who created the new sculpture, said: “In the present study, we carried out a very broad analysis, comparing the reconstructed face with statues of Ramesses II. The goal was to understand how reliable the statues are, since many believe that the compatibility should be good. But we saw that this is not so: the statues indicate good compatibility with the shape of the nose and even, in some situations, with the shape of the face.»

The statues of Ramses II have a more graceful forehead, lips and chin are more pronounced, which makes the facial features in the image «not reliable enough,» the Daily Mail notes.

«We also analyzed anthropometric and DNA data from the population of Ancient Egypt , and all of them seem to indicate that the population consisted of many elements that are difficult to standardize,” – Moraes said.

The team chose a palette of skin colors that was used in ancient Egyptian art because the true shade is unknown.

The scientists also developed a grayscale version that showed the pharaoh's eyes closed to avoid judgments about his complexion, but the team assumed that criticism would soon follow.

"Any work published on the Internet is always subject to criticism, just look at the comments on the news and discussions on social networks,&rdash; notes Moraes. – I stand for freedom of expression. I myself have never blocked anyone from my networks because they thought differently than me or insulted me. But I also have freedom of expression, and I usually use it to clarify points and refute what seems incoherent.»

The team also used information obtained from a 1976 study of mummified remains Ramesses, found in 1881, which made it possible to restore tissue and create new dressings.

The study also found that Ramesses II had a severe overbite and his teeth were significantly worn.

The pharaoh also had poor dental and bone health, largely due to an abscess that caused him severe pain.

"Even though the ancient king lived a long life, signs of memory loss were noticeable in his muscles, and veins were clearly visible on his forehead", – shared by Moraes and his team.

The team wanted to depict what the aging monarch looks like in a new look. They collected data from hundreds of modern Egyptians to determine the likely thickness of the pharaoh's skin in different places on his skull.

Another method was anatomical deformation, in which the face and skull of a living donor, who also had a severe overbite, were altered digitally to match the size of the mummy.

The end result used these techniques before ageing him appropriately and adding subjective elements like clothing. This reveals what Moraes called a «wise» face.

The result also appeared similar to a previous reconstruction from 2022, created by Sahar Salim of Cairo University and Caroline Wilkinson of Liverpool John Moores University.

Different techniques were used then, but Moraes said he was pleased with the result.

The 2022 facial reconstruction was carried out by scientists from Egypt and England, who also used a 3D model of his skull. They then reversed the aging process, turning back the clock by almost half a century to reveal his face in his prime.   

Salim said the result was a «very handsome» ruler. "My idea of ​​the face of Ramses II was influenced by the face of his mummy," she continued. "However, the reconstruction of the face helped to give the mummy a lifelike appearance. I find that the reconstructed face belongs to a very handsome Egyptian with the facial features characteristic of Ramses II, the pronounced nose and strong jaw."