A digital artist brought Queen Tiye, King Tutankhamun’s grandmother, back to life by applying advanced Photoshop techniques to photographs of her remains — which are 3,400 years old.
The queen kill, who lived from 1398 BC to 1338 BC, was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and the mother of Akhenaten.
Through Akhenaten, it became grandfather of Tutankhamun, the pharaoh known for having the most intact tomb ever discovered.
Despite not having royal blood, Tiye had immense influenceoften appearing in state documents alongside her husband.
The digital artist Photoshop Surgeon He now used Tiye’s remarkably well-preserved mummified remains as the basis for reconstructing the Egyptian queen’s face.
Starting with the bone structure, the artist added eyes, a nose and a mouth that fit the facial structure.
Long, curly brown hair and realistic skin tones have been layered. Features such as freckles, wrinkles and even hands were added.
Photoshop Surgeon
Queen Tiye’s reconstructed face.
Tiye’s mummified remains, discovered in 1898 by French archaeologist Victor Loret in the Valley of the Kings, were initially not identified. Two female mummies, nicknamed “The Oldest Lady” and “The Youngest Lady,” were found in the tomb of Amenhotep II.
The discovery of a lock of hair in a coffin bearing Tiye’s name, which matched the hair of “The Elder Lady,” was a breakthrough. In 2010, a DNA analysis confirmed his identity.
Previously, investigators have recreated the faces of King Tut and Pharaoh Akhenaten using forensic techniques. These reconstructions revealed family resemblances, but also highlighted the physical challenges faced by Tutankhamun due to his parents’ incestuous relationship.
