For the first time in 3,500 years, humankind was able to look upon the face of Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I. Archeologists discovered Amenhotep’s mummy a century ago in 1881 in Deir el-Bahari, a small village outside the world-famous Valley of Kings, but never unwrapped it due to fears of damaging the detailed face mask and bandages on the body. Thanks to advancements in computer tomography (CT) scanning, a team of researchers at Cairo University were finally able to “digitally unwrap” Amenhotep I and uncover new details about the pharaoh.
Zoom In: The CT scans revealed that Amenhotep ruled during Egypt’s New Kingdom period (between 1525 and 1504 BC) and was one of the first pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty line in Egypt, which included rulers like Tutankhamun (or King Tut). Amenhotep was about 35 years old when he died and around 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall. According to lead researcher Dr. Sahar Saleem, he physically resembled his father and had a narrow chin, small narrow nose, curly hair, and mildly protruding upper teeth. The CT scans also showed that he was reburied around 400 years after his initial mummification and burial, likely taking place after his mummy was disturbed by tomb raiders looking for jewelry.
