5 Most Mysterious Ancient Masks

In 1876, German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, already renowned for his discovery of the real-world location of Troy, unearthed a remarkable artifact in a shaft tomb in Mycenae, Greece.

Among the trove of gold, weapons, and the remains of a wealthy man lay a striking gold funerary mask, crafted from a single sheet of hammered gold and rendered in three dimensions–a remarkably unique piece from an era when two-dimensional masks were far more common.

This "Mask of Agamemnon," as it would come to be known, sparked a tantalizing possibility: could this be the face of the legendary King Agamemnon, the prominent leader of the Achaeans in the Trojan War, whose exploits were immortalized in Homer's epic, the Iliad?

For centuries, the location of Agamemnon's final resting place has been a topic of heated debate. Some scholars dismiss the King as a purely mythological construct, while others maintain that the stories surrounding him are rooted in historical fact.

Overcome with excitement at his discovery, Schliemann reportedly sent a telegram to King George of Greece, proclaiming, "I have gazed upon the face of Agamemnon."

The mask shared several consistencies with others found nearby, such as the presence of a beard and the artist's approach to facial features. However, the discovery raised more questions than it answered.

In the 20th century, the artifact's authenticity was formally challenged, with some critics even accusing Schliemann of commissioning the mask's creation and planting it in the tomb to bolster his reputation.

Modern archaeological methods have since revealed that the mask actually dates back to the 16th century BC, predating the Trojan War by several centuries. While this confirms the mask's authenticity and suggests it is even older than Schliemann initially believed, it also definitively proves that the artifact could not have belonged to the mythological King Agamemnon.

In his final years, Schliemann came to accept the truth about his discovery and the realization that Agamemnon may have been a figure of mythology all along.

The mask, described by one historian as the "Mona Lisa of prehistory," continues to captivate scholars, offering a glimpse into the rich craftsmanship of the ancient world, even if it cannot provide a tangible link to the mythical figure of Agamemnon himself...