What was the purpose of the death mask of Agamemnon?
The mask was designed to be a funeral mask covered in gold. The faces of the men are not all covered with masks. That they are men and warriors is suggested by the presence of weapons in their graves. The quantities of gold and carefully worked artifacts indicate honor, wealth and status.
What are the characteristics of the Mask of Agamemnon?
The mask was created by hammering gold into a thin leaf over a wooden form. It is three-dimensional and includes cut-out ears, full detailed facial hair, and eyelids that appear open and closed simultaneously. Because of its uniqueness it has come to be representative of gold-work from the age.
Is the funeral mask of Agamemnon?
The Golden Mask of Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae: The Mask of Agamemnon is an artifact discovered in Mycenae in 1876 by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. This mask is made of gold and is a funeral mask found over the face of a dead body in a burial place at Mycenae.
What was the primary purpose of a funeral mask in ancient Egypt?
From the Middle Kingdom (1938–1630 bce) to the 1st century ce, the ancient Egyptians placed stylized masks with generalized features on the faces of their dead. The funerary mask served to guide the spirit of the deceased back to its final resting place in the body.
What were funeral masks used for?
Funerary masks were frequently used to cover the face of the deceased. Generally their purpose was to represent the features of the deceased, both to honour them and to establish a relationship through the mask with the spirit world.
Was Agamemnon a real person?
There is no good evidence as of now whether Agamemnon was a real person or not. It’s possible that his name existed and was later attached to the leader of the Greek army at Troy, but this is all just conjecture.
How Agamemnon was killed?
When Agamemnon comes home he is slain by Aegisthus (in the oldest versions of the story) or by Clytemnestra. According to the accounts given by Pindar and the tragedians, Agamemnon is slain in a bath by his wife alone, after being ensnared by a blanket or a net thrown over him to prevent resistance.
Why did Agamemnon sacrifice his daughter?
When the Greek fleet is becalmed at Aulis, thus preventing movement of the expeditionary force against Troy, Agamemnon is told that he must sacrifice Iphigenia to appease the goddess Artemis, who has caused the unfavourable weather. Agamemnon lures his daughter to Aulis by pretending that she will marry Achilles.