The glamorous face of Queen Nefertiti, who could have been the mother of King Tutankhamun, has been brought to life using the latest 3D imaging technology.
It took 500 hours to recreate the bust and the jewellery was even handcrafted by designers from Dior.
However, the colour of the 3,400-year-old queen’s skin has raised controversy with people claiming she would not have been so fair in real life.
The face of Queen Nefertiti, who could have been the mother of King Tutankhamun, has been brought to life using the latest 3D imaging technology. It took 500 hours to bring her to life and the jewellery was even handcrafted by designers from Dior
Scientists from the University of Bristol digitally mapped the face of the ancient queen, which will be aired on the US Travel Channel’s Expedition Unknown on Wednesday night.
This was done in order to make an accurate reconstruction which took paleoartist Elisabeth Daynes 500 hours to recreate.
The extraordinary sculpture provides an accurate depiction of her appearance in life and bolsters the theory that the mummy of King Tutankhamun’s biological mother, nicknamed the ‘Younger Lady,’ is also Queen Nefertiti.
Nefertiti, who ruled Egypt 3,300 years ago from 1353 to 1336 BC, was either the mother or stepmother of the boy-pharaoh King Tutankhamun.
Her full name, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti, means ‘Beautiful are the Beauties of Aten, the Beautiful One has come’.
Her power and charms in 14th-century BC Egypt were so great that she collected many nicknames, too – from Lady Of All Women, to Great Of Praises, to Sweet Of Love.
Egyptologist Dr Aidan Dodson of Bristol University received permission from Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities and The Egyptian Museum to remove the protective glass case covering the mummy to examine the mummy.
The extraordinary sculpture provides an accurate depiction of her appearance in life and bolsters the theory that the mummy of King Tutankhamun’s biological mother, nicknamed the ‘Younger Lady,’ is also Queen Nefertiti
Using the latest 3D imaging technology, the mummy’s face was digitally mapped to create a replica of her head.
However, some Twitter users questioned the colour depiction of the ancient queen’s skin.
‘Nefertiti was not this ugly white lady. Next’, tweeted Brooklyn-based comedian Akilah Hughes whose Twitter name is @AkiolahObviously.
‘The #TODAYshow really had the audacity to make Queen Nefertiti look like a white woman’, tweeted beauty writer @BabyfaceTatz.
Lagos-based Malaikan singer Jon Ogah suggested that the queen was not her ‘true black self’.
‘When you leave your history to the hands of white people to help examine and reconstruct why won’t Queen Nefertiti come out looking like a ghost not resembling her true BLACK self’, he tweeted.
However, other people suggested that the ancient Egyptians were closely related to European populations which means they would had pale skin.
The Egyptians showed themselves with a range of different skin colours – from light brown to red to yellow and black.
The men were often darker than women, perhaps an indication that they did more manual labour outdoors.
‘Nefertiti was not this ugly white lady. Next’, tweeted Brooklyn-based comedian Akilah Hughes whose Twitter name is @AkiolahObviously
‘The #TODAYshow really had the audacity to make Queen Nefertiti look like a white woman’, tweeted beauty writer @BabyfaceTatz
WHO WAS QUEEN NEFERTITI?
Queen Nefertiti was famed for her beauty as depicted in the famous bust now in Berlin (pictured)
Queen Nefertit was one of ancient Egypt’s most influential Queens, ruling during the empire’s prosperous 18th Dynasty.
Nefertiti, who ruled Egypt 3,300 years ago from 1353 to 1336 BC, was either the mother or stepmother of the boy-pharaoh King Tutankhamun.
Her full name, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti, means ‘Beautiful are the Beauties of Aten, the Beautiful One has come’.
Her power and charms in 14th-century BC Egypt were so great that she collected many nicknames, too – from Lady Of All Women, to Great Of Praises, to Sweet Of Love.
Nefertiti lived during the richest period in ancient Egypt’s history – from around 1370BC to 1330BC.
As well as marrying a king – Pharaoh Akhenaten – she was probably born the daughter of another pharaoh, and possibly ruled alongside Tutankhamun.
There is even a suggestion that she ruled Egypt alone after her husband’s death, meaning she ruled Egypt from cradle to grave.
Nefertiti and Akhenaten had six daughters, although it is thought that Tutankhamun was not her son.
DNA analysis has indicated that Akhenaten fathered Tutankhamun with one of his own sisters – making Nefertiti his step mother.
Her beauty and power were depicted in a number of temple images.
Sometimes she is shown walking behind her husband, but is also often shown on her own, in positions of pharaoh-like power.
Her own death is shrouded in mystery. She is thought to have died about six years after her husband, possibly from the plague that struck Egypt at that time.
In 1331BC, Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamun and moved the Egyptian capital to Thebes, where he died in 1323BC.
Experts say the face seems to be consistent with ancient representations of Nefertiti.
‘It’s extraordinary. When taken alongside the latest reading of the genetic data, this provides us with truly exciting evidence that the mummy of the Younger Lady is none other than Queen Nefertiti herself’, said Dr Dodson.
The badly damaged mummy of the Younger Lady was uncovered in a tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1898, and shown through DNA evidence in 2010, to be King Tutankhamen’s biological mother.
Many people, including Lagos-based Malaikan singer Jon Ogah, were not impressed with the choice of skin colour for the reconstruction of the Egyptian queen
‘Nefertiti is remembered as one of the most beautiful women in history, but her accomplishments are anything but skin deep,’ said Mr Gates.
‘She was a powerful pharaoh and ruled during one of the most prosperous times in the ancient world. But like many of history’s most important female figures, her legacy has been obscured’, he said.
As well as marrying a king – Pharaoh Akhenaten – she was probably born the daughter of another pharaoh, and possibly ruled alongside Tutankhamun.
‘The bone structure and the features are remarkably consistent with ancient depictions. I believe this is the true face of Nefertiti’, said Dr Gates.
The bust will be featured in a two-part special of the network’s hit series ‘Expedition Unknown’ with Josh Gates (pictured), airing on Wednesday, February 7 and February 14 at 9 pm ET in the US
‘Even the jewellery on the bust was handcrafted by designers who work for Dior,’ said artist Elisabeth Daynès.
‘When you overlay the profile of the reconstruction with the famous Berlin Bust of Nefertiti, they are an incredibly close match.’
Nefertiti’s own death is shrouded in mystery. She is thought to have died about six years after her husband, possibly from the plague that struck Egypt at that time.
In 1331BC, Tutankhaten changed his name to Tutankhamun and moved the Egyptian capital to Thebes, where he died in 1323BC.
The bust will be featured in a two-part special of the network’s hit series ‘Expedition Unknown’ with Josh Gates, airing on Wednesday, February 7 and February 14 at 9 pm ET in the US.
WHAT IS THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS?
The Valley of the Kings in upper Egypt is one of the country’s main tourist attractions, situated next to the Giza pyramid complex.
The majority of the pharaohs of the 18th to 20th dynasties, who ruled from 1550 to 1069 BC, rested in the tombs which were cut into the local rock.
The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues as to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period.
The majority of the pharaohs of the 18th to 20th dynasties, who ruled from 1550 to 1069 BC, rested in the tombs which were cut into the local rock. Pictured are statues of goddesses at the site
Almost all of the tombs were opened and looted centuries ago, but the sites still give an idea of the opulence and power of the Pharaohs.
The most famous pharaoh at the site is Tutankhamen, whose tomb was discovered in 1922.
Preserved to this day, in the tomb are original decorations of sacred imagery from, among others, the Book of Gates or the Book of Caverns.
These are among the most important funeral texts found on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs.
The Valley of the Kings in upper Egypt is one of the country’s main tourist attractions, situated next to the Giza pyramid complex. The most famous pharaoh at the site is Tutankhamen, whose tomb was discovered in 1922