CAIRO, May 11: Egypt’s antiquities chief hailed on Wednesday a new era for Egyptology after experts used revolutionary techniques to reconstruct the face of the famed boy pharaoh Tutankhamun.

“It’s a revolution, a new era for Egyptology. We will now learn more about other pharaohs such as Ramses II, the way they lived, died and the way they looked,” Zahi Hawas said at a press conference.

“We will apply the technique on many famous and other less famous mummies and exhibit our findings within three years,” he said.

Zahi Hawas, who heads Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said on Tuesday that Egyptian and foreign forensic scientists had reconstructed Tutankhamun’s facial features using computerized X-rays.

“I was really moved when I realized he did look like the busts we’ve collected,” Mr Hawas said as he stood next to an antique sculpture of the king on display at the Egyptian museum. The scientists also lifted the veil of mystery surrounding Tutankhamun’s death 3,300 years ago, saying he had died aged 19 from gangrene after breaking his leg.

But Zawas said he differed with his colleagues’ conclusions, saying he was “not really convinced that an infection could have killed him”. “Although we couldn’t prove he was murdered, or poisoned, the case is not closed,” he said.

Tutankhamun is thought to have been the 12th ruler of the 18th dynasty while Ramses II was the third king of the 19th dynasty. —AFP