SAEDNEWS: (Video) 3D Reconstruction of Elamite Queen 'Napirasu'—Ancient Iran’s Most Powerful Woman Unveiled After 3,250 Years! You Can Truly See the Beauty and Grace of Iranian Women in Her Face!
According to Saed News’ History & Culture Desk, the colossal statue of Queen Napirasu—one of the most remarkable relics of the ancient Elamite civilization in southwest Iran—has long kept a tantalizing secret: what did her face actually look like?
This 3,250-year-old bronze and copper masterpiece, weighing 1,750 kilograms, is one of the largest examples of metalwork in the ancient Near East. Discovered in 1903 by French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan amid the ruins of the Ninhursag Temple in Susa, it now resides at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Sadly, the statue’s head has been missing… until now.
Inspired by archaeological evidence and historical reconstruction techniques, artist and designer Milad Mansourfar (@milad.mfar.plus) has created a breathtaking recreation. Using 3D modeling and digital painting, he reconstructed Napirasu’s likely face based on a small statue of a goddess found alongside the famous ancient artifact known as the “Jubji Goddess” in Ramhormoz, Khuzestan.
Napirasu, wife of Untash Napirisha—the king who built the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat—was far more than a queen; she was one of the most influential women in ancient Iranian history. So significant was her presence that the hem of her statue bears a cuneiform inscription, seemingly in her own voice, containing a powerful ancient curse:
"Whoever dares seize my statue, whoever dares destroy it… may they incur the wrath of the great gods, and may their name and lineage be erased!"
This artistic reconstruction opens a new window into the identity and lost glory of this historic figure, highlighting the extraordinary role of women in ancient Elam. Could this face truly belong to the queen who once cursed the ancient world?
