Gold death mask (known as Agamemnon’s Mask). 1550 – 1500 BCE. Found in Mycenae, Grave V, Grave Circle A. 16th c. BCE. The mask was made in gold sheet with repoussé details. The two holes near the ears are indication that it was secured over the deceased’s face with twine. Unearthed during excavations at Mycenae in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann who believed it to belong to the Homeric hero Agamemnon. Later dating however placed the mask to 1580 – 1550 BCE, about three hundred years earlier than the time of Agamemnon. The name stuck though, and many refer to it still as the Mask of Agamemnon. The mask’s authenticity has been questioned several times, given the fact that many suspect Schliemann was capable of planting elaborate forgeries to generate attention and money for his projects.
Exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.