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Archaeology & History

Scientists reconstruct face of 'the cruelest man who ever lived'

By T.K. Randall
July 17, 2024 · Comment icon 4 comments
Ivan the Terrible
A 19th-Century painting depicting Ivan the Terrible. Image Credit: Viktor Vasnetsov
Known as Ivan the Terrible, the infamous Russian ruler was notorious for his horrific acts of cruelty.
Ivan IV Vasilyevich, who was the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, was born in 1530 and died in 1584 after a reign that would cement his place in the history books for all the wrong reasons.

His barbaric acts included beating his own son to death and torturing people through various means such as boiling them alive, impaling them, drowning them in ice or tearing them apart with horses.

His reign was characterized by turning Russia from a medieval state into an empire, but this came at a tremendous cost to both the country's people and its economy.

While plenty was written about Ivan the Terrible, his appearance had long remained lost to history.

Now, though, scientists have managed to put together a full facial reconstruction utilizing several different approaches.

One of these saw the team analyze data from living donors to determine the thickness of the skin at different places on his skull, while another involved digitally manipulating the face and skull of a living donor until it matched the dimensions of the tsar himself.
Additional information was yearned from a study of Ivan's remains by Soviet scientist Mikhail Gerasimov in 1963.

"According to Dr Gerasimov's study, it appears that Ivan indulged in a disorderly life of excessive eating and alcohol abuse," said study lead author Cicero Moraes.

"This must have worsened his condition in his last years."

"This is in contrast to the appearance he had when younger, when he was described as tall, with beautiful hair, broad shoulders, strong muscles, and a pleasant face."

You can check out the finished reconstruction for yourself below.



Source: Mail Online | Comments (4)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Dan Homestead 4 months ago
They apparently didn't take that painting seriously. It's completely useless to do these kinds of reconstructing; you have no clue what the lips, nose eyelids, hair, etc. looked like.
Comment icon #2 Posted by HollyDolly 4 months ago
The first painting is probably more correct, but who knows.
Comment icon #3 Posted by Silver Surfer 4 months ago
So they pretty much just give Putin a beard? ok..
Comment icon #4 Posted by Myles 4 months ago
Why are they celebrating this goon.  There were good people back then that they could concentrate on.


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