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If you've ever set foot in a museum of Greek and Roman art, you've probably seen the rows of tranquil-looking concrete busts. They do, however, have no pupils in the eyes, lack any sort of color, and in general, get kinda repetitive after the third and fourth display hall.

But the artist named Haround Binous is bringing the dusty emperors back to life in a series of hyper-realistic illustrations. The guy from Université de Lausanne, Switzerland is combining facial recognition AI, Photoshop, and historical references to revive all the Roman emperors, from Augustus to Valentinian III.

The result is so precise and true to life, these ancient dudes with luscious curls and sun-kissed tans could easily pass as A-list Hollywood actors off duty. I mean, look at Augustus—is that you, Daniel Craig?

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Augustus

Augustus

Haroun Binous Report

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Philip II

Philip II

Haroun Binous Report

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Galba

Galba

Haroun Binous Report

Turning cold emperors' stones into hyperreal flesh may seem like a mission impossible. But with the help of today’s machine learning technologies, images can be reconstructed and brought to life in colorful illustrations.

This is what Haroun has done for his Roman emperor recreations. With the help of AI, Photoshop, and historical references, he came up with these hyperrealistic illustrations giving us a glimpse of how great Roman emperors like Caius Julius Cæsar Germanicus and Nero looked in real life.

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Nero

Nero

Haroun Binous Report

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Philip The Arab

Philip The Arab

Haroun Binous Report

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Gordian II

Gordian II

Haroun Binous Report

Haroun Binous said he used “superposition and simultaneous comparison” techniques that “allowed me to arrive at these faces.”But the facial features are just one part of the job.

In order to get hold of the textures and colors, Haroun researched original historical sources. “Eyes, hair, and colors were based on quotes from Suetonius,” he wrote.

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Caligula

Caligula

Haroun Binous Report

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Domitian

Domitian

Haroun Binous Report

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Tiberius

Tiberius

Haroun Binous Report

In reality, it’s not entirely clear how accurate the emperors' busts are to begin with since our best evidence of how they looked are the busts themselves. However, we do perceive them as roughly accurate, since we now know that stylistically, the Romans preferred realism in their sculpture dating back to the Republican period.

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Other than busts, historical sources do reveal a thing or two about the people of the Roman Empire. The Roman historian Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, for example, who wrote during the early Imperial era, described some of the emperors in his notes.

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Claudius Gothicus

Claudius Gothicus

Haroun Binous Report

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Trajan

Trajan

Haroun Binous Report

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Hadrian

Hadrian

Haroun Binous Report

According to Christies, Suetonius was very receptive to physiognomic thinking and “may have been swayed by them in his description of the fearsome appearance of Caligula.” He was presented as the epitome of arbitrary cruelty and immoral excesses that was reflected in his description of Caligula’s face.

On the other side of the opposite extreme, there was a fair share of heroic idealization of the most powerful men and it’s likely that their busts have done some justice to their looks. Who knows—maybe some of the most breathtaking busts have undergone an ancient equivalent of airbrushing? That, we may never know.

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Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius

Haroun Binous Report

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Gordian III

Gordian III

Haroun Binous Report

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Tacitus

Tacitus

Haroun Binous Report

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Vitellius

Vitellius

Haroun Binous Report

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Lucius Verus

Lucius Verus

Haroun Binous Report

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Diocletian

Diocletian

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Theodosius I

Theodosius I

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Antoninus Pius

Antoninus Pius

Haroun Binous Report

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Commodus

Commodus

Haroun Binous Report

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Gordian I

Gordian I

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Claudius

Claudius

Haroun Binous Report

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Valerian

Valerian

Haroun Binous Report

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Nerva

Nerva

Haroun Binous Report

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Caracalla

Caracalla

Haroun Binous Report

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Maximinus Thrax

Maximinus Thrax

Haroun Binous Report

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Maximian

Maximian

Haroun Binous Report

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#29

Titus

Titus

Haroun Binous Report

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Otho

Otho

Haroun Binous Report

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#31

Valens

Valens

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#32

Valentinian III

Valentinian III

Haroun Binous Report

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#33

Galerius

Galerius

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Didius Julianus

Didius Julianus

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#35

Hostilian

Hostilian

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#36

Volusianus

Volusianus

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#37

Carinus

Carinus

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#38

Pertinax

Pertinax

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#39

Macrinus

Macrinus

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#40

Pupienus

Pupienus

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#41

Decius

Decius

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#42

Quintillus

Quintillus

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Probus

Probus

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#44

Constans I

Constans I

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#45

Magnus Maximus

Magnus Maximus

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#46

Vespasian

Vespasian

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Septimius Severus

Septimius Severus

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#48

Elagabalus

Elagabalus

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#49

Severus Alexander

Severus Alexander

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#50

Balbinus

Balbinus

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#51

Numerian

Numerian

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#52

Constantius Chlorus

Constantius Chlorus

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#53

Constantine The Great

Constantine The Great

Haroun Binous Report

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#54

Julian

Julian

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Gallienus

Gallienus

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#56

Saloninus

Saloninus

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#57

Florianus

Florianus

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#58

Maxentius

Maxentius

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Valentinian I

Valentinian I

Haroun Binous Report

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Geta

Geta

Haroun Binous Report

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#61

Licinius

Licinius

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#62

Maximinus II

Maximinus II

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#63

Constantius II

Constantius II

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#64

Diadumenian

Diadumenian

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#65

Trebonianus Gallus

Trebonianus Gallus

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#66

Aurelian

Aurelian

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Valentinian II

Valentinian II

Haroun Binous Report

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#68

Gratian

Gratian

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#69

Honorius

Honorius

Haroun Binous Report

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