Ancient Egyptian Woman’s Face Reconstructed From Her Mummified Head

There is more to a serene Ancient Egyptian face than her fine-features suggest. Researchers (from multiple faculties) at the University of Melbourne have combined avenues like medical research, forensic science, CT scanning and Egyptology, to recreate the visage of Meritamun (‘beloved of the god Amun’), an Ancient Egyptian woman who lived at least 2,000 years ago. And the interesting part is – the scientists only had access to Meritamun’s mummified head, which on analysis alludes to how she met her demise at a young age of 18 to 25. But beyond her beautiful face, the researchers with their reconstruction project are looking forth to uncover more clues from the Egyptian’s ancient life, ranging from her actual time-period, diet to even the diseases she contracted during her lifetime.

 

The researchers were befuddled when they found out that they had full access to a mummified head in the university facility’s basement, possibly a legacy left behind by Professor Frederic Wood Jones (1879-1954), who undertook archaeological projects in Egypt. In any case, the team made a CT scan and found that the skull was in genuinely well-preserved condition, thus initiating the first steps towards a reconstruction process. The researchers then went on to determine the gender of the mummy (head) by analyzing the bone-structure of the specimen. Guided by the relative smallness of the jaw (and its angle), along with the narrowness of the roof of the mouth, the team found out that they were dealing with an Ancient Egyptian female; later confirmed by anthropologist Professor Caroline Wilkinson, who is famous for heading the reconstruction of King Richard III.

Interestingly, while the gender of Meritamun could be determined, the researchers are still working on the actual date of the mummy head itself. To that end, the specimen showcased significant levels of tooth decay, which could have been the effect of sugar, an item introduced to Egypt after its conquest by Alexander – thus placing Meritamun within the Greco-Roman time-frame. On the other hand, honey (known to Egyptians before Greek influence) could have also played its role in causing the tooth decay. Furthermore, the high quality of the linen bandages wrapped around the mummy head hints at how Meritamun was probably a noblewoman, and she could have hailed from the time of native pharaohs – as long ago as circa 1500 BC.

In any case, researchers are looking forth to radiocarbon dating that can shed more light into the historical time-frame of Meritamun. In the meantime they proceeded with the reconstruction process, by CT scanning and then 3D printing an accurate replica of the mummy skull. In fact, the skull had to be printed in two sections for precisely capturing the features of the jaws. The facial reconstruction was then created by leading sculptor Jennifer Mann, with the aid of practical techniques that are often used in actual crime/murder investigations. As Andrew Trounson from University of Melbourne, explains –

The methodology involves attaching to the printed skull plastic markers to indicate different tissue depths at key points on the face, based on averages in population data. This data is derived from modern Egyptians and has been specifically selected by reconstruction experts from around the world as the best approximation for ancient Egyptians. It was then about applying the clay according to the musculature of the face and known anatomical ratios based on the actual skull. For example, Meritamun’s nose is squashed almost flat by the tight bandaging, but Mann was able to estimate what her nose would have looked like using calculations based on the dimensions of the nasal cavity. The skull also displays a small overbite that Mann has reconstructed. Meritamun’s ears are based on the CT scan results.

Finally the reconstruction was cast in a polyurethane resin and appropriately painted. A slightly dark olive hue was chosen as the skin tone, in line with the hypothetical portrayal of Ancient Egyptians in history. The last finishing touch was applied by recreating the hair style of Meritamun, based on the hair of Lady Rai, another Egyptian woman who hailed from the time period of circa 1570-1530 BC. Now it should be noted that reconstructions such as these are only close approximations of the actual historical scope, as opposed to a completely precise ambit (in spite of the details). However the value of such processes goes beyond accuracy. A closing remark by Dr Janet Davey, a forensic Egyptologist from Monash University, made it clear –

…by reconstructing her we are giving back some of her identity, and in return she has given this group of diverse researchers a wonderful opportunity to investigate and push the boundaries of knowledge and technology as far as we can go.

Source: University of Melbourne / All Images Credit: Paul Burston.

Ancient Egyptian Woman’s Face Reconstructed From Her Mummified Head

Explorers accidentally find a graveyard of more than 40 perfectly preserved ancient shipwrecks at the bottom of the Black Sea

More than 40 shipwrecks have been discovered from the Ottoman and Byzantine periods, many of which provide the first views of ship types known from historical sources. Pictured is a shipwreck from the Ottoman period

The Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project has been scouring the sea bed of the Black Sea
The primary focus is to carry out geophysical surveys, but over 40 shipwrecks have also been found
They are 'astonishingly well preserved' due to the lack of oxygen in the Black Sea's 'dead zone'
The findings provide new information on the communities living on the Black Sea coast

In the depths of the Black Sea lies a landscape of complete darkness, where there is no light and no oxygen.

Archaeologists have long believed this 'dead zone' holds of a perfectly preserved graveyard of shipwrecks.

Now, a mapping expedition has proved them right, after accidentally uncovering more than 40 ancient shipwrecks from the Ottoman and Byzantine periods.  

The expedition has been scouring the waters 5,900ft (1,800 metres) below the surface of the Black Sea using an off-shore vessel equipped with some of the most advanced underwater equipment in the world.

The vessel is on an expedition mapping submerged ancient landscapes which were inundated with water following the last Ice Age.

The project, known Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea MAP), involves an international team led by the University of Southampton's Centre for Maritime Archaeology.

Professor Jon Adams, principle investigator on the project, said: 'We're endeavouring to answer some hotly-debated questions about when the water level rose, how rapidly it did so and what effects it had on human populations living along this stretch of the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea. 

'The primary focus of this project is to carry out geophysical surveys to detect former land surfaces buried below the current sea bed, take core samples and characterise and date them, and create a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of Black Sea prehistory.'

The vessel is based on board the Stril Explorer, and carries some of the most advanced underwater survey systems in the world.

The researchers are using two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to survey the sea bed.

One is optimised for high resolution 3D photography, while the other, called Surveyor Interceptor, 'flies' at four times the speed of conventional ROVs and carries an entire suite of geophysical instrumentation, as well as lights, high definition cameras and a laser scanner. 

The researchers used two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to survey the sea bed. These have discovered several wrecks, including this one from the Byzantine period (pictured)

The wrecks, such as this one from the Medieval period, are astonishingly well preserved due to the anoxic conditions (absence of oxygen) of the Black Sea below 150 metres

Since the project started, Surveyor Interceptor has set new records for depth at 5,900ft (1,800 metres) and sustained speed  of over six knots (7mph), and has covered 1,250 kilometres (776 miles).

Among the wrecks are ships from the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, which provide new information on the communities on the Black Sea coast.

Many of the colonial and commercial activities of ancient Greece and Rome, and of the Byzantine Empire, centred on the Black Sea. 

After 1453, when the Ottoman Turks occupied Constantinople (and changed its name to Istanbul), the Black Sea was virtually closed to foreign commerce. 

Nearly 400 years later, in 1856, the Treaty of Paris re-opened the sea to the commerce of all nations. 

Professor Adams said: 'The wrecks are a complete bonus, but a fascinating discovery, found during the course of our extensive geophysical surveys. 

The Remotely Operate Vehicles captured the shipwrecks in stunning detail, including this intricate stern of a ship from the Ottoman period

While the primary focus of the project is to carry out geophysical surveys, shipwrecks, including this one from the Ottoman period, have given new insights into how communities live on the shores of the Black Sea

The exploration vessel is based on board the Stril Explorer, and carries some of the most advanced underwater survey systems in the world

'They are astonishingly preserved due to the anoxic conditions (absence of oxygen) of the Black Sea below 150 metres. 

'Using the latest 3D recording technique for underwater structures, we've been able to capture some astonishing images without disturbing the sea bed.

'We are now among the very best exponents of this practice methodology and certainly no-one has achieved models of this completeness on shipwrecks at these depths.'

SCANNING THE BLACK SEA BED 

The researchers are using two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to survey the sea bed.

One is optimised for high resolution 3D photography, while the other, called Surveyor Interceptor, 'flies' at four times the speed of conventional ROVs and carries an entire suite of geophysical instrumentation, as well as lights, high definition cameras and a laser scanner.

Since the project started, Surveyor Interceptor has set new records for depth (1,800 metres) and sustained speed over six knots (seven miles/hour), and has covered 1,250 kilometres (776 miles).

A collection of more than 40 shipwrecks have been discovered and inspected, many of which provide the first views of ship types never seen before.

Among the wrecks are ships from the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, which provide new information on the communities on the Black Sea coast.

This Remotely Operated Vehicle, called the 'Work Class Supporter', which is optimised for high resolution 3D photography, is designed to capture high resolution 3D photography and video. The researchers are using two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to survey the sea bed.

The project has been scanning the bottom of the Black Sea, and has so far covered 1,250 kilometres (776 miles)

Many of the colonial and commercial activities of ancient Greece and Rome, and of the Byzantine Empire, centred on the Black Sea

Explorers accidentally find a graveyard of more than 40 perfectly preserved ancient shipwrecks at the bottom of the Black Sea

Archaeologists Reconstruct 5000-Year Old Tomb In Ukraine Belonging To An ‘Elite’ Nomad

Credit: Michał Podsiadło

During a series of excavations archaeologists have discovered a 5,000 year old tomb located near the village of Prydnistryanske, on what is now the border between present Ukraine and Moldova (near river Dniester). On further analysis the experts deduced that the burial, relatively ‘monumental’ in its scope, belonged to a man who was one of the elites of a nomadic shepherd community. And now the researchers have been able to successfully reconstruct the structural ambit of the tomb with all the authentic details.

As we mentioned before, the community in question here pertained to a group of nomadic shepherds; which meant that the (temporary) inhabitants of the area didn’t really construct permanent dwellings. However the archaeologists were able to find burial mounds dotted all over the proximate lands. On assessment of these cemeteries, the researchers concluded that this nomadic society was dominated (in status) by the adult males, for whom the monumental mounds were mainly constructed. As Danuta Żurkiewicz of the Institute of Prehistory, Adam Mickiewicz University (in Poznań) said –

They erected monumental burial mounds, which played an important role in the life of the community. They were clearly visible in the landscape – now they are destroyed and poorly outlined.

Credit: Michał Podsiadło

Coming back to the reconstructed tomb, the researchers were initially drawn to this particular burial because of the intricacy of the construction. For example, while most of the other burial chambers were composed of timber and battens, this rectangular tomb was specially covered with uniformly-shaped limestone slabs. The tomb was also protected at the top and bottom by woven mats, while its interior boasted yet another secondary roof made of ash wood. Additionally the structure housed a lump of ochre (red dye), with the stone slabs being partially covered in this natural earth pigment.

Credit: Michał Podsiadło

Interestingly enough, the archaeologists were also surprised by the sheer literal size of the tomb’s occupant. To that end, this burial chamber was the resting place to a 1.9-m (or 6.2-ft) tall man. Now given the standard heights of the time, this male must have stood out with his stature, thus possibly endowing him with an air of eminence. 

Credit: Michał Podsiadło

However on the health side of affairs, the elite member of the community suffered from rheumatic changes and degeneration of his spine. These factors allude to how the man, who met his demise at the age of 35 to 50, took part in rigorous physical activities during his lifetime, including extended horseback riding.

Original view of the mound before excavation. Credit: D. Żurkiewicz

The preliminary results of the study will be published in September, in the 20th volume of the yearbook Baltic Pontic Studies.

Sources/Photos/Biography
D. Żurkiewicz
PAP – Science and Scholarship in Poland
Michał Podsiadło
http://www.realmofhistory.com/

Archaeologists Reconstruct 5000-Year Old Tomb In Ukraine Belonging To An ‘Elite’ Nomad

The 3D Reconstruction Of Robespierre’s Face Doesn’t Really Present A Flattering Picture

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (IPA: [mak.si.mi.ljɛ̃ fʁɑ̃.swa ma.ʁi i.zi.dɔʁ də ʁɔ.bɛs.pjɛʁ]; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and politician, and one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution, the defense of the Republic, and the Reign of Terror.

As a member of the Estates-General, the Constituent Assembly and the Jacobin Club, Robespierre was an outspoken advocate of the poor and of democratic institutions. Early during the revolution Robespierre was against war with Austria, and warned of the possibility of a military coup by the Marquis de Lafayette. Though he was an ardent opponent of the death penalty, Robespierre played an important role in arguing for the execution of King Louis XVI, and the creation of a French Republic. He would campaign for equality of rights and universal male suffrage in France, for price controls on basic food commodities, and successfully advocated for the abolition of slavery in the French colonies.

While France was beset by crises including external and civil war, Robespierre became an important figure during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. He was named as a member of the powerful Committee of Public Safety launched by his political ally Georges Danton, and exerted his influence to suppress the radical left wing Hébertists. Robespierre later moved against the more moderate Danton, who was accused of corruption. The terror ended a few months after Robespierre's arrest and execution in July 1794, and was followed by a white terror. The political figures of the Thermidorian Reaction who rose to power after Robespierre's downfall accused him of being the "soul" of the Terror. Robespierre's personal responsibility for the excesses of the Terror remains the subject of intense debate among historians of the French Revolution.

Terracotta bust of Robespierre by Deseine, 1792 (Château de Vizille)

Back in 2013, forensic pathologist Philippe Charlier and facial reconstruction specialist Philippe Froesch created what they termed as a realistic 3D facial reconstruction of Maximilien de Robespierre, the infamous ‘poster boy’ of the French Revolution. But as one can comprehend from the actual outcome of their reconstruction, contemporary portraits of Robespierre were possibly flattering to the leader.

Originally published as one of the letters in the Lancet medical journal, the reconstruction was made with the aid of various sources. Some among them obviously relate to the contemporary portraits and accounts of Robespierre, in spite of their ‘compliant’ visualization of the revolutionary. But one of the primary objects that helped the researchers, pertain to the famous death mask of Robespierre, made by none other than Madame Tussaud. Interestingly enough, Tussaud (possibly) claimed that the death mask was directly made with the help of Robespierre’s decapitated head after he was guillotined on July 28th, 1794.

Left side – the 3D reconstruction; right side – a portrait of the revolutionary, circa 1790.

Now beyond the visual scope of this 3D reconstruction, the researchers also pointed out a slew of medical conditions that the political leader probably suffered from. According to the scholars, these clinical signs were actually described by contemporary witnesses-

Vision problems, nose bleeds (“he covered his pillow of fresh blood each night”), jaundice (“yellow colored skin and eyes”), asthenia (“continuous tiredness”), recurrent leg ulcers, and frequent facial skin disease associated with scars of a previous smallpox infection. He also had permanent eye and mouth twitching. The symptoms worsened between 1790 and 1794. The day before his beheading, Robespierre suffered a firearm wound to the jaw in dubious circumstances.

Finally Dr Charlier’s retrospective diagnosis for Robespierre’s symptoms relate to sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disorder involving the abnormal collection of chronic inflammatory cells that form as nodules in multiple organs. And while the disorder (with symptoms similar to cancer) can be treated with steroids in our modern times, unsurprisingly, during Robespierre’s lifetime, the disease was probably not recognized. The forensic scientists wrote –

We do not know which treatment was given by his personal physician Joseph Souberbielle, but fruits might have been included (in view of his very high consumption of oranges) along with baths and bloodletting. His disease did not play any part in his death, as judicial execution put the patient to death in a context of political crisis.

Pertaining to the last sentence, according to contemporary sources, before Robespierre’s execution, the political leader was already injured with his shattered lower jaw – possibly due to a self-inflicted gunshot or being shot by a French soldier named Charles-André Merda. But the literal ‘coup de grace‘ was obviously offered by the guillotine blade, and thus the major figure of the Reign of Terror met his gruesome fate along with his close associates.

Photo/VisualForensic, Philippe Froesch, Batabat

Source
Pierre Serna, La République des girouettes: 1789–1815... et au-delà : une anomalie politique, la France de l'extrême centre, Éditions Champ Vallon, 2005, 570 p. (ISBN 9782876734135), p. 369.
Albert Mathiez, « Robespierre terroriste », dans Études sur Robespierre, 1988, p. 63 et 70, et Jean-Clément Martin, Violence et Révolution. Essai sur la naissance d'un mythe national, 2006, p. 224.
Thompson, J. M. "Robespierre," vol. I, p. 174, Basil Blackwell, Oxford: 1935.
Albert Mathiez, "Robespierre: l'histoire et la légende," Annales Historiques de la Révolution Française (1977) 49#1 pp 3–31.
Joseph I. Shulim "Robespierre and the French Revolution," American Historical Review (1977) 82#1 pp. 20–38 in JSTOR
Ruth Scurr, Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution (2006)
There are two ways of totally misunderstanding Robespierre as historical figure: one is to detest the man, the other is to make too much of him. It is absurd, of course, to see the lawyer from Arras as a monstrous usurper, the recluse as a demagogue, the moderate as bloodthirsty tyrant, the democrat as a dictator. On the other hand, what is explained about his destiny once it is proved that he really was the Incorruptible? The misconception common to both schools arises from the fact that they attribute to the psychological traits of the man the historical role into which he was thrust by events and the language he borrowed from them. Robespierre is an immortal figure not because he reigned supreme over the Revolution for a few months, but because he was the mouthpiece of its purest and most tragic discourse.
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Born Marie Marguerite Charlotte de Robespierre, at the time of her brother's glory she was betrothed to Joseph Fouché, who broke the engagement after the events of Thermidor. Charlotte became unmarriageable due to her name; she remained single until her death on 1 August 1834, aged 74.
Born Henriette Eulalie Françoise de Robespierre, she became a nun and entered in the couvent des Manarres on 4 June 1773. She died on 5 March 1780 aged 18.
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The first to have made motto "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" was Maximilien Robespierre in his speech "On the organization of the National Guard" (French: Discours sur l'organisation des gardes nationales) on 5 December 1790, article XVI, and disseminated widely throughout France by the popular Societies.
Discours sur l'organisation des gardes nationales
Article XVI.
On their souls engraved these words: FRENCH PEOPLE, & below: FREEDOM, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY. The same words are inscribed on flags which bear the three colors of the nation.
(French: XVI. Elles porteront sur leur poitrine ces mots gravés : LE PEUPLE FRANÇAIS, & au-dessous : LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, FRATERNITÉ. Les mêmes mots seront inscrits sur leurs dra-peaux, qui porteront les trois couleurs de la na-tion.)
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From Robespierre's speech to the National Assembly on 18 December 1791. Cited in Forrest, A. "Robespierre, the war and its organization." In Haydon, D., and Doyle, W., Eds. Robespierre, p.130. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1999.
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Forrest, A. "Robespierre, the War and its Organization," in Haydon, C. and Doyle, W., Eds., "Robespierre," pp.133–135, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1999.
Quoted in Kennedy, M. L., "The Jacobin Clubs in the French Revolution: the Middle Years," pp.254–255, Princeton University Press, Princeton: 1999.
Laurent, Gustave (1939). Oeuvres Completes de Robespierre (in French). IV. Nancy: Imprimerie de G. Thomas. pp. 165–166. OCLC 459859442.
Hampson, N. "Robespierre and the Terror," in Haydon, C. and Doyle, W., Eds., "Robespierre," pp.162, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1999.
Pfeiffer, L. B., "The Uprising of June 20, 1792," p.221. New Era Printing Company, Lincoln: 1913.
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Bouloiseau et al. Oeuvres de Maximilien Robespierre, pp.88–89, Tome IX, Discours.
Bertaud, J-P. "Robespierre", in Soboul, A., Ed., Dictionnaire historique de la Revolution francaise, pp. 918–919, PUF, 2005: Paris.
Vovelle, M., La Revolution Francaise, pp. 28–29, Armand Colin, Paris: 2006.
Kennedy, M. L., "The Jacobin Clubs in the French Revolution: The Middle Years," pp.308–310, Princeton University Press, Princeton: 1988.
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Original in French:
«Il faut une volonté une. Il faut qu'elle soit républicaine ou royaliste. Pour qu'elle soit républicaine, il faut des ministres républicains, des papiers républicains, des députés républicains, un gouvernement républicain. La guerre étrangère est une maladie mortelle (fléau mortel), tandis que le corps politique est malade de la révolution et de la division des volontés. Les dangers intérieurs viennent des bourgeois, pour vaincre les bourgeois il faut y rallier le peuple... insurrection actuelle continue, jusqu'à ce que les mesures nécessaires pour sauver la République aient été prises. Il faut que le peuple salue à la Convention et que la Convention se serve du peuple...»
Courtois, Edme-Bonaventure (1828). Papiers inédits trouvés chez Robespierre, Saint-Just etc. Paris: Bouduin Preres. p. 15.
Interesting to note the usage of the term «bourgeois» in the original and «the middle classes» in translation in view of ongoing debate on the issue over «bourgeois Revolution»
Susan Dunn (2000). Sister Revolutions: French Lightning, American Light. Macmillan. p. 118.
Furet, François; Ozouf, Mona (1989). A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp. 216; 341. ISBN 978-0-674-17728-4. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
"On the Principles of Political Morality, February 1794". Modern History Sourcebook. 1997.
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Jonathan Israel, Revolutionary Ideas: An Intellectual History of the French Revolution from The Rights of Man to Robespierre (2014), p. 521.

The 3D Reconstruction Of Robespierre’s Face Doesn’t Really Present A Flattering Picture

Reconstruction of Alexandria's Library 300 bc

Library of Alexandria 300 bc

Reconstruction of Alexandria's Library 300 bc

Tutankhamun Facial Reconstruction

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced today the results of three independent attempts to reconstruct the face of Egypt’s most famous king, Tutankhamun.

Reconstruction by the Egyptian Team

Dr. Hawass led the effort to see what King Tut, who died over three thousand years ago, might have looked like in life. Under his direction three independent artist-scientist teams, one French, one American, and one Egyptian, used modern forensic techniques to reconstruct Tut’s face. Two of these teams were chosen and sponsored by the National Geographic; the third was selected by the SCA. The French and Egyptian teams were told that the subject was Tutankhamun. The American team was not given the subject’s identity and was thus working “blind.”

Reconstruction by the Egyptian Team

These likenesses are based on CT scan data collected by an all-Egyptian team, led by Dr. Hawass, using a portable CT scanner provided by the National Geographic Society and Siemens AG. The scan took place on January 5, 2005, in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. The fragile body of the king, which had lain undisturbed since it was last X-rayed in 1978, was carefully carried to the scanner inside the wooden tray of sand in which Carter had left it in 1926. The CT scan was able, with minimum disturbance of the mummy, to distinguish different densities of soft tissue and bone. During the scan over 1,700 high-resolution images were captured; these were then used to create three-dimensional models, both virtual and actual.

Results from the analysis of the CT scan were announced on March 5 of this year. The scientific team concluded that Tutankhamun was about 19 when he died. He was well-fed, and showed no signs of childhood diseases or malnutrition. The team found no signs of a blow to the head, as had been theorized based on X-rays taken in 1968, and no other evidence for foul play. They did note a bad fracture just above the left knee that may have occurred a day or two before the king died (rather than being caused by the embalmers or Carter’s team). “It is possible that this injury became infected and killed the king,” says team leader Zahi Hawass.

Reconstruction by the American Team

All three teams started with the CT data provided by the SCA. The American and French teams were given a plastic model of the skull produced in Paris; the Egyptian team made their own model directly from the data. Based on this skull, the American and French teams both concluded that the subject was Caucasoid (the type of human typically found, for example, in North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East). The American team, working blind, correctly identified the subject as North African. 

Based on the racial type, the teams added clay to the plastic models and used these as a guide to sculpt the features. The French and Egyptian sculptors also made reference to ancient images of Tutankhamun. When her clay model was complete, the French sculptor made a silicone cast and, based on the archaeological information, added glass eyes, hair, and color to the skin and lips.

The results of the three teams are identical or very similar in the basic shape of the face, the size, shape, and setting of the eyes, and the proportions of the skull. The primary differences are in the shape of the end of the nose and ears. “In my opinion, the shape of the face and skull are remarkably similar to a famous image of Tutankhamun as a child, where he is shown as the sun god at dawn rising from a lotus blossom,” says Dr. Hawass. This is confirmation that the science and techniques of forensic reconstruction can be a useful tool for reconstructing the likenesses of people who lived long ago.

The team of radiologists will start next month on the process of identifying another five mummies that were also scanned on January 5, 2005. These are the mummy of a child from the tomb of Tuthmosis IV, an unidentified mummy from the tomb of Seti II, and three mummies found in a side chamber in the tomb of Amenhotep II (an older woman, a youth, and a third mummy recently speculated to be Queen Nefertiti). This work will be carried out as part of the Egyptian Mummy Project, a five-year study led by Dr. Hawass to inventory and scan all of the known mummies in Egypt.

The project will continue to inventory the non-royal mummies in Egypt. No one knows how many of these there are, as they lie scattered at sites and in museums and storage magazines all over the country. These mummies, which include those from the Valley of the Golden Mummies, will be classified and scanned.

The final stage of the project will be the scanning of the royal mummies now exhibited at the Cairo Museum. The Supreme Council of Antiquities is currently building a National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat City in Old Cairo. The royal mummies from the Cairo Museum will be exhibited individually, each with a display explaining the history of the king and his period. Each pharaoh will be accompanied by images from his CT scan and a reconstruction of his face. “For the first time, we will make these dead mummies come alive,” says Dr. Hawass.

Dr. Zahi Hawass adds that. “The Egyptian team is led by Dr. Khaled G. El-Said, a biomedical engineer based in Boston who makes medical models. Using the CT data made a model of the skull of King Tut. Then with the assistance of a detective from Boston, his team also made a reconstruction of the face.

The three reconstructions (French, America and Egyptian) are all very similar in the unusual shape of the skull, the basic shape of the face, and the size, shape and setting of the eyes. The noses of all thee are different, although the French and the American versions are more similar to each other than the Egyptian.

Also, the chin is similar in the American and the French reconstructions; the Egyptian reconstruction has a stronger jaw and chin.

In my opinion as a scholar, the Egyptian reconstruction looks the most Egyptian, and the French and American versions have more unique personalities.

Reconstruction Teams:
Egyptian team:
Khaled Elsaid, biomedical engineer and team leader
French team:
Jean-Noël Vignal, forensic expert, Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale, Paris
Elisabeth Daynes, anthropological sculptor, Atelier Daynes, Paris
American team:
Susan Antón, physical anthropologist, New York University, New York City
Michael Anderson, forensic sculptor, Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, Connecticut

Source
http://www.drhawass.com/wp/

Tutankhamun Facial Reconstruction

Reconstruction of Ishtar gate at Babylon

Ishtar Gate, enormous burnt-brick entryway located over the main thoroughfare in the ancient city of Babylon (now in Iraq). Built about 575 bc, it became the eighth fortified gate in the city. The Ishtar Gate was more than 38 feet (12 metres) high and was decorated with glazed brick reliefs, in tiers, of dragons and young bulls. The gate itself was a double one, and on its south side was a vast antechamber. Through the gatehouse ran a stone- and brick-paved avenue, called the Processional Way, that has been traced over a length of more than half a mile.

Reconstruction of Ishtar gate at Babylon

The sides of the street were decorated with brick lions passant. It has been estimated that there were 120 lions along the street and 575 dragons and bulls, in 13 rows, on the gate. Not all of these reliefs were visible at the same time, however, for the level of the street was raised more than once; even the lowest rows, which were irregularly laid, may have been treated as foundation deposits.

A reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate, at the ruins of Babylon, near Al-Ḥillah, Iraq.

The site was unearthed by the prominent German archaeologist Robert Koldewey, whose excavation of Babylon lasted from 1899 until 1917. The remnants of the original gate and Processional Way have been housed in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum since that institution’s founding in 1930. Iraq reconstructed the thoroughfare at one of the higher levels but since the 1990s has actively sought the return of the original gate and associated artifacts.

Reconstruction of Ishtar gate at Babylon