While it may be tough to find the true nature of people, past their outward appearance, it can provide insight into all people, and to yourself. The ‘Great Man’ theory that leaders are born and not made came about in the 19th century when British aristocrats attained powerful positions through nepotism. It was primarily concerned with explaining leaders such Walpole, Wellington, and Caesar. Much of what is learned in history is their propoganda - getting the reality is much more difficult.
A recent British Broadcasting Corporation study focused on getting personal aspects of such ‘great men’ by using death masks, skulls, sculptures and portraits to reconstruct how they actually looked, not how they wanted you to see them. The study combined strong evidence with 3D-imaging to provide interesting conclusions. The difference betwen the propoganda and the reality gives insight to the persons insecurities.
Julius Ceasar is a terrific example. Gaining access to multiple death masks as well as sculptures was challenging. They end result showed that mass-produced sculptures had high cheek bones and are more balanced nose than the death masks. Also lacking in the propoganda sculptures was his baldness. Cicero, on seeing Ceasar delicately place a strand of across his scalp, commented that the Republic was overthrown by a main so vain that he had to topple a country in order to conceal his head with laurel leaves.
George Washington was well-known for his honesty and lack of humour. Historians postulated his unhappy demeanor may have been from painful problems associated with teeth ravaged by cavities. By comparing his death mask with sculptures and paintings, it can be confirmed that his teeth, and fake dentures, had a large impact on his appearance. By virtually placing his fake teeth in the 3D-rendered skull, it causes his jaw to move forward and become more prominent. In fact, paintings of Washington show a more defined jaw and square-appearing face. In addition, historians found letters where Washington wrote how he felt a good leader should have a strong, well-defined jaw.
These are just a few examples of looking at the man behind the myth. Despite being at the center of some epic moments in history, there were many other people who supported the ‘great man’ getting there. You may not have a chance to become the emperor of vast lands, but you can take pride in maintaining clean teeth and displaying your head - no matter how it looks.