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A team of researchers have created a 3D reconstruction that reveals the face of Egyptian King Tutankhamun.
In 1922, British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the almost intact tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. This find received worldwide media coverage and sparked a resurgence of interest in ancient Egypt.
Tutankhamun's reign has been the subject of much speculation. While the abundance of artifacts found in his tomb has provided a wealth of information about the boy king, a number of mysteries regarding his life and death persist, including the state of his physical health.
One aspect of the king's life that has intrigued researchers and the general public is his facial appearance.
Over the past few decades, researchers have attempted to reconstruct what his face might have looked like using a range of methods.
In 1983, forensic artist Betty Pat Gatliff reconstructed Tutankhamun's face in the form of a plaster skull based on radiography of the real skull. Last year, a team created another reconstruction with the help of digital technology and based on CT scans, which served the basis for a PBS documentary.
Now, a team of researchers—including forensic experts and anthropologists—have created a novel digital reconstruction of King Tut's face using advanced techniques, with the results published in the Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology.
"The case of Pharaoh Tutankhamun proves fascinating and extremely complex and can be assessed only through a multidisciplinary approach," said authors Francesco Maria Galassi and Elena Varotto, who are experts in the field.
"In this study we focused on the anatomical aspects of his cranial region to approximate his face, also reviewing previous research in this direction," said the authors, both of whom are affiliated with the Forensic Anthropology, Paleopathology, Bioarchaeology (FAPAB) Research Center in Sicily, Italy.
The team created a 3D reconstruction of Tutankhamun's skull based on already published data, including anthropometric measurements and X-rays of the boy king's remains, as well as relevant research from the biomedical field.
They then carried out a facial approximation—a technique that uses the skull as a basis to reimagine what the face of an individual would have looked like in life.
For the approximation, the team utilized Blender 3D software, running the add-on OrtogOnBlender, which enables a refined representation of the soft tissue of the face.
"In recent years, digital reconstructions have made a quantum leap in accuracy and detail," Michael Habicht, another author on the paper, told Newsweek. "The skin and eyes in particular can be depicted much more lifelike than just a few years ago."
"Our reconstruction is amazingly close to the one made by a French team a few years ago," Habicht told MailOnline. "It also corresponds with the ancient depictions of Tutankhamun, especially with the head on the lotus flower from his tomb treasure."
Given these similarities, and the techniques they team used, the authors of the latest study believe their reconstruction is likely to be relatively accurate.
"We are confident that there is good compatibility with the real face in the general structure," Cicero Moraes, a graphics expert and another author of the study, told MailOnline.
"To me he looks like a young man with a delicate face," Moraes said. "Looking at him, we see more of a young student than a politician full of responsibilities, which makes the historical figure even more interesting."
The latest reconstruction provides new insights into the physical appearance of Tutankhamun, which goes some way to addressing one of the enduring questions surrounding his life.
"Thanks to this look, we can put one more piece in that great and mysterious puzzle that is the story of Tutankhamun," Moraes told Newsweek.
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About the writer
Aristos is a Newsweek science and health reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He is particularly focused on archaeology and ... Read more