They Left No Pictures, But Science Brought Them Back

Bright Side

Imagine being able to see what ancient famous people looked like, even though they left no pictures behind. Thanks to science, we now can! Forensic facial reconstruction is like detective work for faces—it uses skulls, history, and advanced technology to recreate how someone might have looked. Scientists have brought back faces of ancient kings, queens, and even everyday people from thousands of years ago. It’s amazing to see these reconstructed faces and realize they walked the Earth just like us. Each face tells a story about their time, their culture, and who they were. It’s like traveling back in time without needing a time machine!  Credit: NCIS / YouTube How Made / YouTube Museo del Lenguaje / YouTube Ravenclaw_14 / Reddit ArchaeologyTV / YouTube pandabatron / Reddit ClaireAtMeta / Reddit OetziTheIceman / YouTube GabyAndMichi / Reddit Philippe FROESCH / YouTube marshroanoke / Reddit https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=King+Henry+VII+&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0: Forensic facial reconstruction: By Cicero Moraes, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115148416 Virtual Mummy: By Cicero Moraes, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23314623 Cro-Magnon man: By Cicero Moraes, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24069717 Ricostruzione di Ötzi: By Mannivu, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124037015 Museo Nazionale: By MOs810, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124753053 Ricostruzione di Ötzi: By Mannivu, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124037255 CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0: Ötzi: By Simon Claessen - https://flic.kr/p/9oPc9K, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91117822 Ötzi 2: By Simon Claessen - https://flic.kr/p/9oPcd4, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91117823 CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0: Lula's Head: By gelmi.com.br/sketchfab, https://skfb.ly/6SLZH Male Head Base mesh: By DEGUIDER/sketchfab, https://skfb.ly/oJL7y Otzi, the Ice Man: By Calin Suteu/sketchfab, https://skfb.ly/6qKyH Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00The first photograph was taken in 1826.

00:02Yeah, there I am, way in the background, I'm waving!

00:07From then on, we've had countless images taken all over the world.

00:11Back in the day, if you really wanted your portrait taken, you needed a painter to help

00:15you with it.

00:16You would've had to stand still for long periods of time, making sure the light was

00:21just right.

00:22And let's face it, those portraits weren't really as exact.

00:26Maybe you'd have asked for your eyes to be a bit brighter, or your lips a bit poutier.

00:32When it comes to famous people in ancient history, there's not much we can do in terms

00:36of photography.

00:37It's simple, there aren't any, pictures or famous ancient people.

00:42We can try to imagine what they look like based on their paintings or on texts written

00:46about them by highly regarded scholars.

00:50Fortunately, more and more as years go by, this lack of knowledge will become a thing

00:55of the past.

00:56Enter forensic facial reconstruction.

00:59With the help of this amazing science branch, we can now have a better understanding of

01:04what ancient celebrities looked like.

01:06But how are scientists able to do that, you might ask?

01:09Go ahead, ask.

01:11Turns out that a person's skull can tell a lot about their appearance.

01:15Everything from the brow bone to the distance between the eye sockets can showcase a realistic

01:20profile.

01:21Even the nasal chamber or the shape of one's chin can influence how your face will end

01:26up looking like.

01:27It's like the skull is a blueprint for the face.

01:31Using these bones, artists and forensic anthropologists can work together to reconstruct your appearance

01:37through the magic of forensic facial reconstruction.

01:40It's like real-life detective work, but with more clay and less drama.

01:45Now I guess you're thinking, how correct can these reconstructions really be?

01:50Well, the finished product may not reflect all the details, sure.

01:54You can't tell a person's eye color or skin tone just by studying the skull.

01:59Facial hair is equally hard to tell.

02:01And if you have plump cheeks that make you look so cute, your skull will never tell a

02:06secret.

02:07But even with those limitations, facial reconstruction can still show us what someone in history

02:13may have looked like.

02:15The process itself is pretty cool.

02:17A trained sculptor works with a forensic anthropologist to figure out the skeletal features and build

02:23up the facial traits using clay.

02:26Anthropologists have to consider things like age, gender, ancestry, and any injuries or

02:31tooth loss.

02:32Scientists can also do such tasks digitally these days with the help of computers and

02:37design software.

02:38With all these amazing scientific advancements in mind, did you hear the latest news about

02:43King Tut's family tree?

02:46Well, apparently, his possible father, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, just got a new face

02:52makeover.

02:53And let me tell you, he's looking regal and serene due to some digital reconstruction

02:58magic.

02:59But even though this is the most correct representation of him so far, we still don't know for sure

03:04who he really is.

03:06This fellow was found in 1907 in the Valley of the Kings, just a few feet away from King

03:12Tut's tomb.

03:14Anthropologists have been studying him for over a century and think he might be Akhenaten,

03:19King Tut's daddy, and a very important Egyptian ruler for that matter.

03:23Still, some experts remain skeptical and say we need more evidence to confirm his true

03:28identity.

03:30The reconstruction of this ancient pharaoh's face was a months-long project by a group

03:35of brilliant scientists in Sicily.

03:37They even brought in a 3D forensic artist from Brazil to help out.

03:41The new model is different from earlier ones because they wanted to focus on his facial

03:46features and not get distracted by his hair, jewelry, or other bling.

03:51On the same note, make way for this latest fashion icon.

03:55No, it's not some famous model.

03:57It's a hunter-gatherer woman who lived in Sweden 7,000 years ago.

04:02And boy, is she fierce-looking in her new reconstruction!

04:06She's rocking a feather cape, a slate necklace, and a belt made from 130 animal teeth.

04:12Talk about being fashion-forward.

04:14Or backward.

04:15Plus, her dark skin is painted with white patterns, making her look like a true work

04:20of art.

04:22But don't be fooled by her stunning appearance.

04:24This woman was more than just a pretty face.

04:27She was buried upright in a location dating back to 5,500 BCE to 4,600 BCE.

04:35And her rich jewelry tells us that she was important in her local community.

04:40Thanks to the work of an archaeologist and sculptor, we can now see what this ancient

04:44woman looked like.

04:46They used a CT scan of her skull to piece together her face muscle by muscle, creating

04:52a unique expression.

04:53It's like making eye contact with the past.

04:56While we may never know for sure what her role was in her community, her intricate surroundings

05:02suggest that she held a special place for her people.

05:06Now Ötzi, the 5,300-year-old mummy from the Alps, also got a new makeover thanks to this

05:13amazing technology.

05:15He didn't go to a plastic surgeon, if that's what you're thinking.

05:18Two Dutch brothers used their skills in forensic science and artistry to recreate his face

05:23for a new exhibit in Italy.

05:26Ötzi was found in 1991 by hikers who stumbled across his mummified and frozen remains in

05:32the mountains near the Italian-Austrian border.

05:35He's been around longer than Stonehenge or the Pyramids of Giza.

05:39And now, thanks to the two skillful brothers, we finally know what he looked like.

05:44They used 3D images of his skull to recreate his face.

05:48A photographer also documented the whole process for half a year.

05:53Earlier research shows he passed away from a wound caused by an arrow.

05:58He was left in a protected area high up in a cold glacier region, so his body was preserved

06:03in the snow.

06:04He is now safely kept in a refrigerated cell at the museum, which mimics the wet-cold glacial

06:11conditions that kept him preserved.

06:13They even have a unique cooling system that makes it possible for the mummy to be displayed.

06:19Ötzi's last birthday was his 46th, which was a pretty ripe old age for his time.

06:24He was about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed around 110 pounds, so he was on the smaller

06:30side.

06:31But hey, size doesn't matter when you've been around for over 5,000 years!

06:37King Henry VII got a digital makeover as well, and boy does he look good!

06:42A graphic artist used a mask of Henry VII's dating from 1509 to create an impressive

06:48and realistic reconstruction.

06:51Why a mask, you might wonder?

06:52Well, before photography, people used wax masks to preserve someone's likeness more

06:58accurately than paintings or illustrations.

07:00And let me tell you, the restoration of this Henry was a game-changer!

07:05Henry VII was the King of England from 1485 to 1509.

07:10A depiction of him, which can be found at Westminster Abbey, was already lifelike, but

07:15the new digital reconstruction takes it a step further.

07:19It took the team behind it about 2 months to complete, using a combination of software,

07:24custom algorithms, and really tedious image adjustments that were done manually.

07:30The project started with a high-resolution image of the mask, which was then used to

07:34create a 3D model of the subject's face.

07:37From there, the lighting was designed.

07:40Lastly, facial markings and hair were added.

07:43But what's even more fun is that a beard was added to Henry VII's face too, since

07:48men during that era were commonly bearded-ed, bearded, you know, wore a beard.

07:53We'll never know for sure if he was bearded or not, but it's a hilarious touch that

07:58adds to the character of the reconstruction.

08:01The same team has also created facial reconstructions of other historical figures, like Mary, Queen

08:07of Scots, or Oliver Cromwell.

08:10These masks are like secret passages to another time, if you think about it.

08:14It's amazing how technology can take us back thousands of years to see faces we've

08:20only imagined.

08:21And who knows, maybe in a few hundred years, someone will recreate our faces from the selfie

08:27we took!

08:28That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like

08:33and share it with your friends!

08:35Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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