Scientists have reconstructed the "cold" face of Russia's cruellest leader centuries after his death. Ivan the Terrible was Russia's first Tsar and turned his country into an empire by expanding into Siberia and the Caspian. One of history's horrible tyrants, he is remembered for his infamous barbarity.
It's said he had his subjects variously quartered, boiled alive, impaled, roasted, drowned under ice, and torn apart by horses. At one point, he may have even beaten his son to death. For the first time in centuries, scientists have reconstructed his face by using his skull - after his grave was excavated in 1963 by Soviet scientist Mikhail Gerasimov.
The lead author of the project, Cicero Moraes, said that it appeared the tsar "indulged" in a "disorderly life" of "excessive eating and alcohol abuse" - which may have "worsened his condition" in the last years of his life. He said: "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. An interesting fact is that they found a large amount of mercury in his body, which made some suspect poisoning.
But given the habits of the time, it may have been used as a treatment for some health problem." The re-creation of his final face used a variety of methods. For instance, scientists used data from living donors to reveal the likely thickness of the tsar's skin at different places across his skull.
Another technique used was a.