Scientists Reconstruct and Reveal Face of Pharaoh Ramses II

VIVA – Recently, scientists managed to reveal Ramses II's face using a 3D model of the skull to scientifically reconstruct his characteristics. Ramses II is considered the most famous and powerful Pharaoh in the entire Egyptian Empire.

A researcher’s team from Cairo University in Egypt and the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in the UK have collaborated to reconstruct Ramses II's facial features at the time of his death at 90.

Not only that, but the researchers also reconstructed Ramses II's face at the younger age of 45 using 'digitally opened' scans of the mummy, on display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt.

The two detailed images were created using computerized tomography (CT) scanning technology, which proved to allow accurate reconstruction of the face along with analysis software to parse the details according to the measurements of the typical Egyptian facial muscle layers, Sahar Saleem explained.

"I found the reconstructed face to be a very handsome Egyptian with typical facial features of Ramses II, a prominent nose and a strong jaw," Saleem said.

The software identifies the properties of the various layers of material on the mummy's face, such as the linen bandage on top, making it possible to unwrap the digital Pharaoh.

He argues that the average measurement of the facial muscle layer differs from one population or ethnicity to another in various parts of the face, including the slope of the forehead and the nasal, malar, and labial regions.

"The most scientific approach is to use measurements from a population that’s as close as possible to your subject," Saleem says. Then, the researcher successfully performed CT scans of more than 40 royal mummies, including Egyptian ruler Tutankhamun (1341-1323 BC) whose face was recreated earlier this month.

Fine visualization of facial features such as ear piercings and hairstyles are also made possible by modern image reconstruction software, he continued.

Project leader Caroline Wilkinson, along with a joint team of scientists, spent three months producing the faces of Egyptian rulers 3,300 years after their deaths, "When we looked at the skulls for the first time, we initially looked for the most visible characteristic details. For example, Ramses II has a very wide nasal bone. It is, between the eyes, very high and very prominent," Wilkinson stated. 

The stronger the muscle in which it is anchored, the more its attachments will leave visible marks on the surface of the skull. The researchers first reconstructed Ramses II's face at 90 when he died. Then, they reversed the aging process, turning back the clock, to reveal his face at the height of his power at 45.