Artificial intelligence: What would Alexander the Great look like today?

Alexander the Great is undoubtedly one of the most legendary figures in history, which artificial intelligence has now attempted to flesh out.

At the age of 18 he fought alongside his father Philip against Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Corinth, demonstrating his military prowess for the first time.

He was one of the greatest generals in history, and during his 13-year reign (336 – 323 BC) he conquered most of the then-known world to the east (Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt, etc.), reaching on the borders of India, and without having been defeated in any battle in which he participated.

He faced rivals and rebellions at every turn, but would go on to lead one of the greatest military campaigns in history against the vast Persian Empire, stretching from Greece to the Indian River.

Through the use of modern technology and historical records, researchers were able to create a facial reconstruction of what Alexander might have looked like in his lifetime.

This new understanding of Alexander’s appearance provides a fascinating insight into the life of this iconic figure.

Historians’ descriptions of his face

A fresco depicting a hunting scene in the tomb of Philip II, Alexander’s father, at the archaeological site of Aegis, is the only known surviving depiction of Alexander made during his lifetime, in the 330s BC.

Also, contemporary coins and the famous mosaic of Alexander the Great – a work of the 1st century BC. unearthed in Pompeii—depicts him with a “straight nose, slightly protruding jaw, full lips and eyes set deep beneath a strongly accentuated forehead,” as described by Krzysztof Nawotka in his 2010 study “Alexander the Great,” by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Although most statues of M. Alexander depict the same facial features of the young Macedonian king, historians have not reached a conclusion about his hair color, as reports from ancient historians are conflicting.

The ancient historian Aelianus (c. 175 – c. 235 AD), in his work “Varia Historia”, describes Alexander the Great’s hair color as blond, which could also mean yellowish, reddish or brown.