The face of a Chinese emperor who lived around 1,500 years ago has been reconstructed by a team of researchers, revealing the appearance of the ancient ruler. The facial reconstruction of the ...

It was built by the Yongle emperor, the third Ming ruler (r. 1403-1424). He declared himself emperor and consolidated his power in Beijing, moving the capital some 620 miles from Nanjing in 1403.

The genetic and geographic history of various clans in northern China and present-day Mongolia (top); a diagram depicts Emperor Wu's tomb, discovered in 1996 (bottom). Pianpian Wei et al.

A team in China used ancient DNA to reconstruct the face of an emperor who reigned 1,500 years ago. Emperor Wu was the ruler of the Northern Zhou dynasty from 560 to 578 CE.

Researchers say the tomb belongs to the founding emperor of China's Northern Zhou dynasty, which lasted from 557-581 A.D., based on an epitaph located on the eastern side of its entrance.