Ancient Portraits: The Faces Beneath

Of all the things my teachers might have said during class, only one of a few things ever stuck in mind.

In this case, it was the teacher who explained to my innocent brain that some of the ancient portrait artists deliberately enhanced or sometimes completely fabricated certain features of their subjects to make them look as good as possible. Some followed a "basic design" and just added little personal features to make it look like the person they were drawing.

I was looking at some of the classic paintings from Rome, Egypt, Pompeii, etc...and found myself wondering what the actual people who were being painted LOOKED LIKE without all the exaggerated eyes, ears, noses, lips, etc...

From that thought came this video project...

Theme music "Meditations by the Earth" can now be found here:

http://www.emusic.com/album/M-A-Ludwig-Meditations-By-the-Earth-MP3-Download/...

http://www.rhapsody.com/ma-ludwig/meditations-by-the-earth

http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-By-the-Earth/dp/B001KW5MVO/ref=dm_ap_alb1?i...

http://amiestreet.com/music/m-a-ludwig/meditations-by-the-earth/

iTunes
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=295543188

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• ancient
• Rome
• Fayoum
• Egypt
• portraits
• Pompeii
• painting
• history
• murals
• drawings
• reconstruction
• restoration
• illustrations

[JudeMaris]

ENOUGH with the petty race wars, already. There's no prize for being an insulting bigot. Future offenders will be removed and blocked.

[Cynisca]

I love the idea behind this video and the way that it has been presented..

I'm fascinated by faces from the distant (and sometimes not so distant) past and how they can sometimes reappear in our modern world. Have you ever looked at a face from the past and thought...I know them....!

I often wonder if there is an ancestral connection or it is just coincidence.

[JudeMaris]

It's been said that there are only so many variations in human features before they inevitably repeat themselves in future generations. There is every indication that to some extent, that is certainly true!

[Restitvtvs]

Thank you for creating sharing this thoughful and thought provoking video.

[JudeMaris]

Thanks for the interest!

[QueenzFletch]

Beautiful portraits but if u look its like the same ppl basically. At different ages or outfits ..some r different but u can clearly see that. Most likely royalty.

[1111rhn]

You are so incredibly gifted- thank you for bringing the past alive. I always squint and try and picture what ancient people really looked like- seems like your interpretations are hauntingly right on the mark.

have you done any of King Tut and Smehnkhare?

[1111rhn]

@Cynisca there is one girl on here looks just like mackenzie phillips. I know what you mean.

[antifrituras]

I hate the races debates. Is wasting of your time.... In Rome - At that case Pompeii City - there was many types of races, and the slaves were the people who not pay their doubts..... There was blacks, whites (cream or whatever), yellows, mixed.

[Northax]

@Qayyin Go ahead and go too Google Image search, then type in "Ancient Greek frescoes" and you'll see DARK complected people from 540 B.C. and 1500 B.C. - soldiers, families, etc.

Seriously, you're just in denial of the truth that hurts so much. Poor thing. lol! So respond back and tell me what you think of those ancient Greek frescoes you see with obvious similar coloring to the people in this video right here.

Or are you too scared to respond, since you're embarrassed now? Understandable...

[beauvoir1949]

@Qayyin Remnants from Islamic and Ottoman conquest? What r u talking about? Prophet Mohamed wasn't even born yet between 1 A.D. to 3 A.D.

[tanrat7]

You make all the eyes so much smaller when in fact many middle eastern people have very big eyes.

[Northax]

@Qayyin You are a typical racist in denial of true history. Even paintings from hundreds of years before these were made of Greeks show dark hair, and dark featured people. Please, do go elsewhere and try spreading your lies. It's not working here. You racists are simply jealous of darker peoples who actually made civilization from the south in the Mediterranean.

Poor Hitler was mad that these "darkies" were more advanced than the Germanics of their time! ;)

[AGViquez]

@Qayyin Look up Paquius Proculus you fucking idiot. He and his wife have dark features and are full blooded italians. They are not black nor are they northern white they are mediterraneans the greatest race in the world the only race that has done anything worthwhile on this earth. Your fucking anglosaxon chicken shit skinned barbarian ass is only jealous and thinks that the romans and the greeks looked as ugly as you fucking do.

[robto]

@Qayyin But you know that almost all the people in the portraits are actually greek settlers from Alexandria?