Scientists completes a 3D facial reconstruction of an Egyptian ‘mummy portrait’

Austrian and German scientists have completed a 3D facial reconstruction of a boy mummy that bears a striking resemblance to a portrait of the mummy that was buried alongside his remains, according to LiveScience.

The results show that the portrait was fairly accurate, except for one aspect — the artist made the youngster look older than his 3 or 4 years.

An analysis of the skeleton’s bones and teeth indicates that the boy was roughly 3 to 4 years’ old, whereas the mummy portrait suggests the boy was older. This discrepancy suggests this could have been an artistic convention of the time, said lead researcher Andreas Nerlich.

The so-called “mummy portraits” became popular among Egyptians during the Greco-Roman times with artists painting a portrait of the deceased to be buried with them.