Graphics experts have brought the ancient past to life by recreating the face of Amenhotep I, the pharaoh who founded the Valley of the Kings and reshaped Egyptian history. Amenhotep I, the second ruler of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, died at the age of 35 around 3,500 years ago.
His mummified remains reveal him as the first pharaoh to be laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings. This site would become the final resting place for nearly all the pharaohs of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties, according to Daily Mail.
Amenhotep I was worshipped as a god after his death, revered for ushering Egypt into an era of peace and prosperity. Brazilian 3D designer Cicero Morares, a specialist in forensic facial reconstruction, recreated Amenhotep’s face using various techniques.
One key method involved placing soft tissue thickness markers on the pharaoh’s skull, guided by CT scan data from living donors.
Another method used was anatomical deformation, where a digital recreation of a donor’s head was adjusted to match Amenhotep I’s skull. This method relied on CT scans of the pharaoh’s skull taken in 2021 by paleo radiologist Sahar N. Saleem and Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.
Their work “virtually unwrapped” Amenhotep’s mummified remains, revealing his appearance, skeletal structure, and some preserved internal organs, including his heart and brain.
CT scans did not determine Amenhotep I’s cause of death but estimated he died around age 35. The scans revealed postmortem injuries likely caused by tomb robbers or later embalmers.
Amenhotep stood about five and a half feet tall and had good teeth and curly hair, according to archaeologist Michael Habicht of Flinders University.
“By crossing the data from all the projections, we generated the final bust and complemented the structure with historical costume,” Morares said.
After revealing the Pharaoh’s face, Morares observed that it differed significantly from the god-like features depicted in statues.
“Many mummies, such as Amenhotep I, show a retrognathism or overbite, and this is generally not reflected in a compatible way in the statues,” he said.
“In general terms, the statues of Amenhotep I are compatible in the nose region, but more gracile in the glabella region and more projected in the chin region.”
Amenhotep I’s reign followed his father, Ahmose I, who expelled the Hyksos invaders and reunified Egypt, marking a golden age for the civilization.
Under Amenhotep’s leadership, the New Kingdom thrived with prosperity and security, characterized by a surge in religious construction and successful military campaigns in Libya and northern Sudan.
“Under the peaceful rule of Amenhotep I, the rise of Egypt was initiated and the heyday of the New Kingdom began,” Habicht said.
Amenhotep I, whose name translates to “Amun is satisfied,” honors the ancient Egyptian god of the air.
The digital reconstruction by Morares and Habicht provides a groundbreaking glimpse into the face of this renowned pharaoh, thanks to the foundational work of previous Egyptologists.
