[ΚΕΝΟ]



Gold funerary mask

Χ-Α188
Metal (Gold)
Intact
Height: 10.8 cm. Length: 15 cm.
Mesa Mouliana
Sellades, Tholos Tomb Β
Late Bronze Age. Postpalatial period, Late Minoan IIIC period.:
1200 - 1070 BC:
Gallery:
XI
Case:
126
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Postpalatial period (1300-1100 BC). Settlements. Sanctuaries. Tombs
Description
Gold mask from a warrior burial in Tholos Tomb B of Mesa Mouliana. It was found in situ, on the face of the dead man buried in the floor of the tomb, between the lower jaw and the skull. It is a rectangular, slightly curved sheet of gold with rounded corners and a cavity for the nose, hammered from the inside out. Around the edge of the mask are holes through which it was sewn to the shroud covering the deceased. The gold funerary mask is an extremely rare find for Bronze Age Crete, reminiscent of the gold death masks from the Grave Circles of Mycenae, also unique finds for the Mycenaean world. The Mouliana mask differs from those of Mycenae in that it is simpler and somewhat crudely made, and is not a portrait of the deceased. Nevertheless, the use of the mask and the sword accompanying the burial refer to Mycenaean mortuary customs, which were obviously followed by the illustrious dead of the rich tholos tomb of Mouliana.
Bibliography:
Perna, K. "LM IIIC Burial Culture in Crete: A Socioeconomic Perspective." In J.M.A. Murphy (ed.), Prehistoric Crete. Regional and Diachronic Studies on Mortuary Systems, Philadelphia, 2011, 119-164. Tsipopoulou, M. "LM III Sitia. Patterns of Settlement and Land Use." In Μ. Tsipopoulou and L. Vagnetti, Achladia. Scavi e Ricerce della Missione Greco-Italiana in Creta Orientale (1991-1993), Roma, 1995, 177-192. Xanthoudides, S. "Εκ Κρήτης. Β. Οι Τάφοι των Μουλιανών." Αρχαιολογική Εφημερίς (1904): 21-56, fig. 12.
Author:
E. S.


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