Los científicos han reconstruido el rostro de Tutankamón, revelando un faraón que parece más un “joven estudiante” que un rey. Un equipo internacional de académicos de Brasil, Australia e Italia utilizó un modelo digital del cráneo momificado de Tutankamón para darle vida a sus rasgos. La reconstrucción retrata el rostro juvenil y delicado de un rey que murió hace más de tres mil años cuando aún era un adolescente.
El experto gráfico brasileño Cicero Moraes, coautor del estudio, describió la apariencia de Tutankamón como la de un joven de rostro delicado, más parecido a un joven estudiante que a un político cargado de responsabilidades. Esta interpretación añade una capa extra de intriga a la figura histórica.
Tutankhamun, known as the “boy king,” was famously discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in November 1922 in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Reconstructing Tutankhamun’s face was particularly challenging for the international team since they did not have direct access to his skull. However, previous studies had recorded the skull measurements and provided reference images, which aided in the reconstruction process.
To create the digital model, the team concatenated traces of information from various sources and adjusted a virtual donor’s skull to match Tutankhamun’s proportions. They also recreated the size of the lips, position of the eyeballs, height of the ears, and front size of the nose based on statistical studies performed on CT scans of living individuals from different ancestries. Markers indicating the thickness of soft tissues in different areas were applied to the skull using data from modern Egyptians as a guide. The gradual reconstruction process aimed to create an objective representation of Tutankhamun’s face.
Subjective elements, such as eye color, were added to the reconstruction to humanize the subject further. Interestingly, this is not the first attempt to recreate Tutankhamun’s likeness. A previous reconstruction was made in 2005, and the new study’s authors noted the striking resemblance between the two reconstructions. The current reconstruction aligns with ancient depictions of Tutankhamun, including the famous depiction of his head on a lotus flower from his tomb treasure.
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 captivated the world’s attention. Inside the tomb, over 5,000 items were found, including a solid gold coffin, a funerary mask, thrones, furniture, and even food and wine. The project to recreate Tutankhamun’s face and head involved meticulous detective work, using available reference images, measurements, and modern techniques to reconstruct an accurate representation.
Cicero Moraes expressed confidence in the likeness they have achieved, stating that the projections and measurements are compatible with the real face in terms of general structure. The study’s authors are eager to continue studying and uncovering more pieces of ancient Egypt’s fascinating history.
Tutankhamun, who was revered as a god during his lifetime, died in 1323 BC and was succeeded by his advisor, Ay. The study, conducted by Moraes, Dr. Habicht, and their colleagues Francesco Galassi, Elena Varotto, and Thiago Beaini, will be published in the Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology.
El notable descubrimiento de la tumba de Tutankamón por Howard Carter implicó excavar a través de pasajes llenos de escombros hasta que Carter vislumbró la tumba a través de un pequeño agujero hecho en la mampostería. Sosteniendo una vela, miró dentro y respondió a la famosa pregunta de Carnarvon sobre si podía ver algo con: “Sí, cosas maravillosas”. La tumba, que constaba de cuatro salas, contenía más de 5.000 tesoros reales, incluida una daga hecha de meteorito. Estos tesoros habían permanecido intactos durante más de 3.000 años. El ataúd más interno dentro de la cámara contenía el cuerpo del Niño Rey.
