Face of an ancient beauty

With her delicate features and striking dark eyes, she could easily pass as a top model.

But the next Naomi Campbell she is not - this is the face of legendary Egyptian queen Nefertiti, known as 'the beautiful' or 'perfect one'.

The image is a computer reconstruction of the mummified aristocrat, based on remains unearthed in June.

Renowned archaeologist Dr Joann Fletcher found the mummy in the Valley Of The Kings. At the time, she was not sure of the remains' identity but the computer image puts any uncertainty to rest.

Expert Anthony Geffen, part of the archaeological team involved in the 'makeover', said: 'Once the mummy was discovered, we mounted a 15-person expedition from Britain to carry out proper scientific research.

'Using a 3D computer program, scientists at Nottingham and Sheffield University took images of the skull from lots of angles and, over the next few months, began to reconstruct this face. We didn't tell the scientists who the reconstruction was of - for all they knew, this was a recent murder victim.'

If the scientists were surprised by the result, their shock was nothing compared with Dr Fletcher's. She said: 'I couldn't believe it, that moment when I saw her. After 12 years of searching for Nefertiti, it was probably the most amazing experience of my life. It certainly has some wide-ranging implications for Egyptology.'

Until now, most images of Nefertiti have been based on a limestone bust discovered in 1912 in the Egyptian city of el-Amarna. It is on display in Berlin.

The queen and her husband, the pharaoh Akhenaten, ruled Egypt from 1353 to 1336 BC.

The story of the facelift will be shown in a documentary, Nefertiti Resurrected, on the Discovery Channel on September 7.

Mr Geffen, the executive producer, said: 'Although some are still sceptical this is her, all the signs point that way. The fact her face developed from the reconstruction and the many clues discovered at the scene, such as the double-pierced ear which only she had, and the royal wig, prove to me it is her.'