Archaeology & History

The face of Dante, the man behind the nine circles of Hell, is revealed

By T.K. Randall
March 1, 2024 ·  4 comments

The reconstructed face of Dante. Image Credit: Cicero Moraes Born in 1265, Dante is best known for writing The Divine Comedy which is widely considered to be one of the most important works of Western literature ever put to paper.

Written over the course of 13 years and completed shortly before Dante's own death, it discusses "the state of the soul after death and presents an image of divine justice meted out as due punishment or reward."

The poem's descriptions of the nine circles of Hell - which become increasingly horrific as one descends down through them - are particularly memorable.

Now, more than 700 years from Dante's death, Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes has painstakingly recreated his face using modern reconstruction techniques.

To do this, he and his team used a 1921 analysis of the poet's bones, as well as modern descriptions of his appearance, to create an accurate likeness."Most [historical descriptions] are based on the information contained in the biography of Dante composed by the writer Boccaccio," said Moraes.

"Namely, that he was an individual of medium height, somewhat stooped, with a long face, an aquiline nose and eyes that were more large than small."

"However, Boccaccio did not know Dante personally and collected reports from people close to the poet and who lived with him."

Of particular note is the fact that Dante had a larger than average skull.

"There is a great debate about a larger brain being endowed with greater intelligence," said Moraes.

"Even if we ignore this approach, it is a fact that Dante's work was that of a genius individual."

Source: Mail Online | Comments (4)

Tags: Dante, Hell