A young artist has breathed new life into the dusty, old emperors of Ancient Rome with his life-like computer illustrations of them.
Haround Binous is a student at Université de Lausanne, Switzerland. Using facial recognition technology, Photoshop, and historical references, he’s created true-to-life renderings of every Roman emperor–from Augustus to Valentinian III.
As it turns out, a lot of these ancient dudes were pretty damn sexy and wouldn’t look too out of place on today’s Grindr grid.
Scroll down for a sample of some of Binous’s work and see even more on Facebook.
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Gallienus
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193199324086554&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Augustus
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193197154086771&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Lucius Verus
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193203134086173&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Otho
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193201167419703&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Probus
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193201730752980&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Diadumenian
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193198277419992&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Hadrian
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193199774086509&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Tiberius
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193202444086242&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Philip the Arab
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193201657419654&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Valerian
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193202967419523&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Claudius Gothicus
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193197557420064&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Pertinax
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193201337419686&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Claudius
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193197824086704&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Numerian
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193201000753053&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Diocletian
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193198770753276&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Domitian
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193198697419950&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Antoninus Pius
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193197130753440&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Constantius Chlorus
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193198137420006&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Valentinian II
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193202880752865&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Septimius Severus
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193201937419626&set=pcb.3795578583791196&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Josh447
Wow great job!
Catholicslutbox
They really are.
Numerian is the only one that doesn’t even come close to resembling his bust. The guy is hot though.
Josh447
Yes I agree. I thought w Constantia Chlorus, the jawline was totally off but the overall pics were pretty right on.
bachy
Fascinating photorealistic interpretations of classical personae.
justgeo
Give me just about any one.
funpitt412
“Artist uses facial reconstruction AI to show how Roman emperors looked in real life and WOOF!” So are we just going to pretend that none of this Roman emperors owned slaves? I mean, a bunch of Democrats runs Queerty, and we all know they supported owning slaves.
lemonsvedka
Are you for real? Is there even a country or culture that hasn’t done something atrocious in the past? Emphasis on “in the past”. How about applying your outrage on an actual issue?
bachy
The emperors are only a small part of a rich tapestry — an historical evolution that ultimately led to the crowning contemporary achievement we call “Cancel Culture.” Or, if you will, “The Twitter Inquisition.”
dhmonarch89
Romans enslaved everyone- Germans, French, Greek, etc.- Roman slaves had nothing to do with skin color- it was about the latest territory they conquered. And- all the racist Democrats switched parties back in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement and became Republicans- where they remain today. Pick up a history book sometime!
john.k
In ancient Rome it was possible for slaves (some of them anyway) to gain their freedom and become Roman citizens. A visit to the ruins of Herculaneum near Naples would teach you a lot about that. Certainly at least one former slave in that town became very wealthy and made many endowments to the town.
HDTex
Are we even gonna pretend the Africans didn’t line up to sell other tribes as slaves? Not to mention their own troublemakers?
Yeah, yeah you are. Because it’s unpleasant and means everybody has to take responsibility for their own actions.
Hdtex
Funpitt is Trump’s personal sphincter licker. Ask him what flavor it is today. #triggered #trumptaintwasher #cuck #MAGAt2020
Milton
All civilisations were built on slavery you’d be naive to think otherwise.
Cam
@funpitt412
We can tell how panicked you Trump trolls are because you can’t even let a random fun post go by without hyperventilating some bizzare attack on Democrats.
It’s fun to see that you know Trump is losing and how desperate that is making you.
Harley
Have you ever read the Bible. It’s the most pro slavery tome ever written by man.
dougie
funpitt412 – what in the world does your comment have to do with anything at all? The point of the article is that an artist did facial depictions of Roman men. Romans had nothing to do with Democrats. Sounds like you’ve either reading comprehension issues or attention problems. Oughta get that checked out.
barryaksarben
your comment is laughable. The gop at this moment is the most racist nationall party this country has ever seen
nm4047
a well engineered high horse you on there.
IanHunter
Congratulations. You officially won the dumbass of the year award.
DaddyRob
The Southern Democrats supported slavery but not all of them, either. Northern Democrats were opposed to Slavery. I have family who are both Democrats and Republicans dating as far back as to the split of the Democrat Party, from what I understand none of them supported slavery or segregation. I get it, I like to respond about the atrocities that spurned from the Democrat Party but the Republican Party is not great either. Republicans discriminated people based on their religious beliefs and today discriminate largely on homosexual and transgender rights. You really should leave the politics aside. And further more, I am on everyone’s side and agree with the rest.
ElPillo
Yes, Romans owned slaves, so did the Greek, biblical Israeli, Ethiopians, Kongo, Egyptians, Persians, Mongols, Pawnee, Aztecs, Inca, and practically every ancient people in world history.
funpitt412
I grew up in Texas; my family never owned slaves and were always republicans. That BS about switched parties is just what Democrats say to erase what their relatives did back in the day. Own your history and apologize for it.
Hdtex
Funpitt…please roll off your brother and finish your GED Cletus.
charlietex
So your family has always been poor white trash? Sorry.
Cam
Interesting, so Strom Thurman never switched parties?
Weird, I guess you’ll have to tell his biographer that he got that part wrong.
It’s also adorable that Right wing trolls have to go back decades to find anything to attack Democrats with, see for us, it’s easy, we can point out racist or anti-AMerican things Republicans are doing TODAY.
Poor little troll.
Kangol2
I don’t believe a word you’re saying. Your family was not always Republican, going back to the 1850s (that’s when the party was created); you’ve just made this crap up and are trying to deflect as always. Get help, Funkpitt, because you clearly and badly need it!
barryaksarben
if you are from texas your family owned slaves. my dem family from iowa never owned slaves and fought and died for the union and werent traitors like texas
Gay Thomas
So fun to see you get constantly owned and throat-punched on this site. Most people that get embarrassed daily are smart enough to just slink quietly away, but you’re brain-dead Trumptrash incapable of knowing any better. You haven’t ever formed a cogent, rational thought on here ever.
Chrisk
There is this thing called Google where you can actually do some research. Much more fun to troll I guess.
Kangol2
If you’ve ever visited southern Italy in particular, these reconstructed faces will seem quite in keeping with the general male population across Sicily, Sardinia, Campania, Calabria, and even the Lazio region, where Rome is located. A really fascinating project that Binous undertook!
jmg619
These are really good but the only issue I have is some of the lips look all the same. Compare some of the lips to the statues and they don’t really match. But overall I wish I lived in Roman times with these guys.
nm4047
You mean we are expected to believe these sculptures are an accurate portrayal of said person. Look at portraits of historical figures over the centuries, very very few of them were realism, Liz the 1st was in reality hideous, pox marked skin, balding head, the list goes on, if the artist portray them as they really looked they wouldn’t be alive to do another portrait. Cromwell is credited with the ‘warts and all’ request to when his official portraits were commissioned, the Spain artist Goya also was one of very few that did reality portraits of the inbreeds of the Spanish court.
Aaron
Meh, I think they designed these recreations to look more attractive than they probably/actually were.
trojanboy
Id go for Probus. Crazy name, crazy guy ?