THE face of one of the richest men to have ever lived has finally been revealed through incredible technology a whopping 3.400 years after he died.
Amenhotep III, better known as the grandfather of Tutankhamun, was regarded as a living god to the Egyptian people but despite all his power, new images show he could’ve been a very short, overweight, and balding man.
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The legendary pharaoh has been described by archaeologists as “one of the richest men that ever lived” with much of his wealth stemming from his rulership campaign.
Amenhotep led Egypt through a period of unprecedented prosperity and international power in 1386 BC even earning the nickname of the Magnificent one.
One of the biggest signs of his notoriety in Egypt is that he has more statues left scattered across his kingdom than any other pharaoh.
But despite all the statues his face has never been reconstructed until now.
Using data from his mummy’s skull, a clever multinational team has finally uncovered the truth of what Amenhotep III really looked like.
Archaeologist Michael Habicht, from the Flinders University in Australia, said despite his face and body being plastered around Egypt on statues he looked a lot different in the reconstruction.
He said: “It’s a placid face for a man who promoted peace and lived in a time of the greatest economic prosperity.
“He might well have been one of the richest men that ever lived, at least in his epoch.”
“Research carried out in the 1970s described Amenhotep III as an obese, sick, and sedentary man, who was almost bald, and suffered from dental problems in the last years of his life.
Another bizarre finding that is only known through the scientific know-how was that the Pharaoh was actually a very short man.
Habicht said they found Amenhotep was just over 5ft 1in – making him one of the smallest kings to have ever ruled.
The archaeologist continued: “Although he was one of the truly great kings of Egypt, his body height is about 156cm, making him one of the smallest kings we know from their preserved mummies
“This rather small body height is not reflected in art – in artworks he is famous for his gigantic statues.”
The reconstruction process started by digitally recreating the skull using images and data from his discovered mummy.
They then added in all the additional data from other living donors to configure the likely positions and sizes of the king’s nose, ears, eyes, and lips.
Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes, was the brains behind the scientific breakthrough.
He said: “Based on historical knowledge, Amenhotep III had a robust appearance, which is why we used data from individuals with a high body mass index.”
It is also regarded as one of the most complete remodels ever undertaken as even the king’s clothes and accessories were also included.
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Moraes went on to say: “We were amazed with the final result, seeing a complete bust with these colours and the facial serenity is quite satisfying.
“It is our gift to all those who appreciate history.”
He first came to the throne when he was just a 12-year-old boy and revolutionised the way his people heard news about the palace through royal news bulletins carved into stone.
He is thought to have died between the ages of 40 and 50.
Researchers say the idea of his extreme wealth comes from letters sent from diplomatic leaders to Amenhotep III asking him for gold as a present.
Dr Habicht said: “Diplomatic letters by foreign potentates begged him to send them some gold as a present, ‘as gold shall be abundant in Egypt as sand’.
“It’s the usual overexaggeration for such a letter, but nevertheless hints towards extreme wealth.”
“There are speculations that the mummy of Amenhotep III may have been entirely covered with gold leaf, so that he must have looked like a statue of a god.”
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The archaeologist also said the pharaoh was believed to be “a womanizer”.
The two men and their colleagues Elena Varotto and Francesco Galass are now set to publish their findings in a scientific journal.
Who are the richest people ever?
These are some of the wealthiest people to have ever walked on Earth according to archeologists and researchers:
Mansa Musa – Indescribable wealth
Emperor Shenzong – £18.07trillion
Akbar I – £15.06trillion
Joseph Stalin – £5.79trillion
Augustus Caesar – £3.5trillion
Andrew Carnegie – £287billion
John D. Rockefeller – £263.3billion
William The Conqueror – £205billion
*All estimated wealth in todays money
The richest people in the world today…
Bernard Arnault – £170million
Jeff Bezos – £160million
Elon Musk – £154million
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