Richest man ever lived: Scientists recreate face of King Tut's grandfather

New York: A multinational team has recreated the face of Amenhotep III, one of the most powerful Egyptian kings ever lived, NDTV reported citing New York Post.

This is the first time in 3,400 years the face of the grandfather of Tutenkhamun, who ruled Egypt in the 14th century BC, was created.

During his reign Egypt was noted for its unprecedented prosperity and international power alongside the emperor was worshipped as living god.

The team used the data from skull of his mummy to reveal how Amenhotep III really looked like. Using data from living donors the team crafted the approximate dimensions and position of his nose, ears, eyes and lips.

Cicero Moraes , the Brazilian graphics designer who created the pharaoh's face, claimed that ‘ this is the first facial approximation of Amenhotep III’, adding ‘It is our gift to all those who appreciate history.’

"We were amazed with the final result; seeing a complete bust with these colours and the facial serenity is quite satisfying. Compared to other approximations of pharaohs that I have participated in, this was the most complete too, as we modelled the clothes and accessories," Moraes reporteldy said.

Amenhotep, who was named after the sun and air god Amun who he claimed as his real father, had unparalleled wealth, his diplomatic letters proved.

‘There are speculations that the mummy of Amenhotep III may have been entirely covered with gold leaf, so that he must have looked like a statue of a god," Dr Michael Habicht, an archaeologist at Flinders University in Australia, was quoted as saying.

Amenhotep III, according to an expert, was obese, sick, and sedentary man who stood about 156cm (around 5ft1), and was bald, suffered from dental problems.

"He might well have been one of the richest men that ever lived, at least in his epoch," said the report, adding that he died at age of 40 or 50 in 1352 BC.