9,000 year old JUDEAN DESERT LIMESTONE MASK
pre-pottery neolithic
circa 7th millennium b.c.
Too heavy to wear, the mask is human-sized, with holes for the eye sockets, a small nose portraying only the nasal bones, and an open, lipless mouth with teeth. Given the skeletal representation, experts believe that masks like this one were related to death rituals or ancestor worship among the cultures of ancient Judea in the Neolithic period, circa 7th millennium B.C. Small drill holes along the perimeter suggest that hair might have been affixed, or they might have been used to secure the mask over the face of a deceased person or perhaps to a wall, pillar or statue.
"One of the earliest human attempts to connect with the spirit world."
-Christies
pre-pottery neolithic
circa 7th millennium b.c.
Too heavy to wear, the mask is human-sized, with holes for the eye sockets, a small nose portraying only the nasal bones, and an open, lipless mouth with teeth. Given the skeletal representation, experts believe that masks like this one were related to death rituals or ancestor worship among the cultures of ancient Judea in the Neolithic period, circa 7th millennium B.C. Small drill holes along the perimeter suggest that hair might have been affixed, or they might have been used to secure the mask over the face of a deceased person or perhaps to a wall, pillar or statue.
"One of the earliest human attempts to connect with the spirit world."
-Christies
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