What The Most Famous Mummies Looked Like When They Were Alive

In 2005, three teams of artists and scientists led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, then secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, revealed a reconstruction of the face of King Tut. They based the model on CT scans of Tutankhamun's mummified remains.

The American team working on the project was not told the identity of the subject and worked "blind" off of the CT scans, while the French and Egyptian groups also referenced ancient images of King Tut to complete their models.

In 2021, scientists announced they had digitally reconstructed the face of a man thought to be King Tut's father. The man's mummified remains were found in 1907 near Tutankhamen's tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Genetic analysis linked his skeleton to King Tut, and archaeologists found other evidence in his tomb that suggested he was Akhenaten, pharaoh from 1353 BCE to 1335 BCE, although some scientists dispute this finding. 

Experts at the Forensic Anthropology, Paleopathology, Bioarchaeology Research Center (FAPAB) in Sicily created the digital face, working with facial reconstruction expert Cicero Moraes of Brazil. They analyzed published data available about the mummy, known as KV 55, along with photographs and videos, to develop the reconstruction. 

According to an FAPAB media release, "a first attempt at a facial reconstruction dates from 1966, but royal headscarves were added, which... gives a wrong impression... In our reconstruction we do without any jewelry or hairstyle and choose to focus on the real appearance."

FAPAB Egyptological studies coordinator Michael E. Habicht told Ancient Origins that "the skin, eyes, and shape of the ears are approximations based on the fact that this is an Egyptian, which accounts for brown eyes and a skin complexion that is still common in Egypt today."

In 1991, Ötzi the Iceman - who lived in the Copper Age - was found naturally mummified in the ice of the Italian Alps. Recent 3D scanning technology allowed Dutch artists Alfons and Adrie Kennis to create a more detailed reconstruction of Ötzi in 2011 - previous attempts did not have the benefit of 3D casts of his skull.

Ötzi's latest face showed him as older and frailer than he appeared in previous reconstructions.

Peat bogs have provided some of the most incredible specimens of preserved remains, such as Grauballe Man, a bog body from the early Iron Age discovered in Denmark in 1952. Although Grauballe Man is well-preserved, his face is distorted, making his features less clear than other bog bodies like Tollund Man.

Grauballe Man passed due to harsh circumstances - he was found with his throat slit from ear to ear.

Xin Zhui, wife of the Marquis of Dai during the Han Dynasty, lived about 2,200 years ago. When her tomb was discovered in the 1970s, scientists marveled at her excellent preservation. Medical experts could still perform a checkup, a gynecological exam, and an autopsy thanks to the mummy's condition.

Zhao Chengwen, a professor at the China Criminal Police College, developed and used advanced forensic technology to reconstruct Lady Dai's face as she would have looked during her younger years.

Bog bodies give us a look at a variety of ancient people, such as the young Yde Girl who died around 2,000 years ago. Discovered in 1897, Yde Girl had also met a tragic end - she was slayed with a woolen band that was found still wrapped around her neck.

In 1992, forensic expert Richard Neave was tasked with re-creating the bog mummy's face. Scientists CT scanned her body, and Neave worked with a styrene replica of her skull. Red hair was found with her body, but she was likely blond originally - the red color comes from the peat bog.