40 Realistic Reconstructions of History’s Most Famous Figures

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Some people are so influential that they shape the course of history. However, there is only so much we can do to understand what these important people actually looked like. Though many of them were captured in paintings and sculptures by talented artists, it was common for these to be adjusted to ensure the subject looked their best. Think of it as an old-fashioned version of the Photoshopping and airbrushing we see today.

It’s no secret that historical figures were often portrayed very differently from how they looked in real life. When it comes to the portraits of many familiar faces, we have to take them with a grain of salt. The pictures of famous figures that you remember are not representations of reality. However, thanks to the wonders of science, we are now able to get a glimpse at their true forms. The following pictures reveal everything. 

King Tut

The Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, more commonly known as King Tut, was arguably the most famous of the ancient Egyptians. It is thanks to Howard Carter’s excavation in 1922 that we are able to see the face of the infamous pharaoh.

Tutankhamen was a boy-king who ruled for 10 years, and it is believed that he died from an infected broken leg. DNA studies on his mummy have shown that he also suffered from a bone disorder that made his skeleton quite fragile. On top of this, he endured several bouts of malaria and a cleft palate.

Emperor Nero

Nero ruled Rome from 54 to 68 CE and was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero’s reign began with the assassination of his mother. He was a popular emperor, but his reputation plummeted due to his massive tax increases and excessive spending.

The Nero figure in the image above is a recreation of the Roman Emperor made by Spanish artists in 2019. This model was based on descriptions, drawings, and busts of Nero. It is believed that he started the great fire of Rome to achieve his political agenda. When he killed himself, legend has it that he said, “What an artist dies in me!”

Robert the Bruce

Robert’s victories in Scotland earned him the nickname “the Hammer of the Scots,” but he was also known as an able leader and a responsible king. He set up sound government institutions and finally settled Scotland’s long-standing dispute with the English. In 1314, he obtained a charter from King Edward II of England recognizing Scotland’s right to independence.

If you’ve ever wondered what the face of Robert I looked like, well, now you know. Researchers at the University of Glasgow used casts from the skull believed to belong to the king of Scots in order to create a bust using Face Lab technology. The bust was made using plasticine and human hair, while researchers also used historical and archaeological evidence to create Robert I’s likeness.

Julius Caesar

Caesar was a general and politician whose military conquests expanded the Roman Republic. He crossed the Rhine River and later invaded Britain, but after refusing to step down from command to avoid arrest, he re-entered Rome, triggering a civil war.

This bust was created from a scan of a Roman marble portrait of Julius Caesar. Caesar, one of Rome’s greatest military leaders, rose to power after winning the Roman civil war in 45 BCE. He then became a dictator. Caesar proved himself to be a relatively fair leader but was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate in 44 BCE.

Nefertiti

The most famous bust of Nefertiti is believed to have been created by the sculptor Thutmose in Amarna, Egypt in 1345 BCE. The sculpture was discovered in Thutmose’s workshop in 1912. However, with 3D imaging, experts were able to determine what this ancient queen might have truthfully looked like in person.

Elizabeth Daynes is a London-based paleoartist who recreated Nefertiti’s face and received widespread media and public attention for her work. The recreation of Nefertiti was commissioned by The Travel Channel’s documentary show Expedition Unknown. There was some controversy surrounding the color of the Egyptian queen’s skin.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra ruled Egypt along with her brother Ptolemy XIII for about three decades. She ascended to the throne at the age of 18 after her father died. Five years later, her brother’s advisers succeeded in running Cleopatra out of Egypt, but with the help of Julius Caesar, she was reinstated a few years later. 

The image above shows one of the most accurate depictions of Cleopatra. It’s important to note her masculine features and figure. As history has proven, it was not her looks that made her so charming. She was able to seduce the mightiest men in all of Rome with her intellect and cunning ways.

Queen Elizabeth I

Her father Henry VIII was one of the most infamous kings of England. Her mother was Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife. However, Henry annulled their marriage shortly after Anne gave birth to Elizabeth. Because of this, Elizabeth was technically illegitimate and not eligible to be queen. However, she became queen in 1558.

The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I is one of the most famous images of her. The original painting was destroyed during the Second World War, but the Queen’s House in Greenwich has incorporated a new copy, accompanied by an animatronic face that blinks and gives the appearance that it’s thinking. 

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare was a playwright and poet who remains arguably the most popular and greatest writer in the English language. Thanks to him, we have phrases like “basket case” and “cold comfort.” We also have memorable lines like, “Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow,” from his classic play, Macbeth.

A team of archaeologists from the University of Dundee analyzed a death mask that was made after William Shakespeare’s passing on April 23, 1616. The computer-generated image is so detailed that it even shows facial hair, the pores on his skin, and the folds of his eyelids.

George Washington

He was the leader of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Washington was also the first executive to serve under the US Constitution (1789-97). The Virginia-born former British soldier is remembered for his courageous actions during the war and his leadership in establishing the new republic.

This is the face of George Washington according to evolutionary anthropologists at the New Jersey Medical School. The researchers used computer-generated imagery to construct a detailed virtual sculpture of the first President of the United States, and it does an extraordinary job of bringing his facial features to life.

Mary, Queen of Scots

The Scottish Parliament named Mary Queen of Scots when she was just six days old after the death of her father, James V. She grew up in the French court and eventually returned to Scotland in 1559. She became Queen of Ireland when she married the man who was King of Ireland (and England, at that time), Lord Darnley.

The face of Mary, Queen of Scots has been brought to life with the use of 3D imaging technology. Professor Caroline Wilkinson of the Department of Archaeology and Forensic Sciences at Dundee University collaborated with BBC Alba to create the facial reconstruction.

Richard III

He may have had one of the shortest reigns in English history, but it’s his death that will live in infamy. The story in Shakespeare’s play and the events that followed led historians and the British monarchy to believe that Richard III was a tyrant and a villain.

In 2012, the remains of King Richard III were discovered below a parking lot in Leicester, England. The lead artist for the project pictured above, Dr. Caroline Wilkinson, stated that she was able to recreate his facial features by studying his remains and historical documents. 

Meritamun

The skull of an ancient Egyptian woman was discovered in the archives at the University of Melbourne. Her name is Meritamun, meaning “beloved of the god Amun.” How did a skull from ancient Egypt end up in the University of Melbourne?

Though Meritamun’s mummy was found in poor condition, researchers were able to gather information from it. They determined that she was 18 to 25 years old when she died and that her hair was long and brown. Her body had a lot of teeth in bad condition, indicating that she probably had a fondness for sweets.

The Lord of Sipan

One of the most significant archaeological discoveries was made in 1987. In a pre-Incan tomb uncovered in Peru, archaeologists found the remains of Lord of Sipan and his treasures. The tomb is considered to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in modern history.

Following the excavation, the crew had to work on fixing the skull since it had broken into 96 pieces. Modern technology helped tremendously in reconstructing the broken skull. When they discovered that his body had several fractures, they decided to use photogrammetry – a process in which cameras are set up at different angles to create a 3D image. The results are shown in the image above. 

Saint Anthony

Saint Anthony of Padua was born on June 13, 1195, in Lisbon, Portugal. He was a Franciscan monk who became one of the greatest preachers since St. Paul. He was known for his eloquent sermons and his miraculous powers of healing.

For the facial reconstruction, scientists examined the remains of Saint Anthony when his body was exhumed from its tomb in Padua in 1595. They took a fragment of his jawbone and a piece of his tongue. It has been said that when Saint Anthony died, children cried in the street and bells rang by themselves.