MASK OF AGAMEMNON 289
A
gold death mask, the Mask
of Agamemnon is one of
the world’s most famous –
and controversial –
archaeological artefacts. It was
found covering the face of
a body in shaft graves in
Mycenae, Greece, in 1876.
Made from a thick sheet
of gold that has been
hammered over a wooden
mould, it depicts the face of
a bearded man. Fine textures,
such as the eyebrows and
beard, were added using a
sharp tool. Heinrich Schliemann,
the archaeologist who found it, claimed he
had “gazed on the face of Agamemnon”,
legendary king and leader of the famous
attack on ancient Troy. This claim was later
refuted when it emerged that the graves,
from around 1500 BCE, predated the Trojan
War by around three centuries, although
the site was still identified as Troy. The
name has stuck, however, and the mask
is accepted as a genuine artefact by the
National Archaeological Museum of Athens,
where it remains a highlight today.
However, critics point to the atypical
features – facial hair, separate ear flaps,
and distinct eyebrows – none of which are
present on other masks of the same
period at the site. Schliemann
had been suspected of
“salting” his previous finds
with treasures from other
sites, and detractors
suggested he may have
planted a forgery, or
reworked an ancient mask.
Calls have been made
to test the age of the mask
- ancient gold is impure and
contains alloyed minerals
that corrode over time, which can help
establish age. However, the Archaeological
Museum of Athens regards doubts about
the mask as unfounded, and it remains
one of the world’s most intriguing pieces
of precious metalwork, as well as a
stunning artefact in its own right.
Key dates
c.1500 BCE–1983
1500
1200
0
1800
1900
1950
2000
1850
Archaeologist Heinrich
Schliemann
Mask of Agamemnon
Scene from the Trojan War in a 16th-century Italian
fresco, featuring the Trojan horse, with which Agamemnon
tricked the Trojans and took the city of Troy
Typical ancient Greek
death mask
△ Agamemnon depicted in a painting c.1633
I have gazed
on the face of
Agamemnon
Heinrich Schliemann
in a telegram to a Greek newspaper
on finding the mask
c.1550–1500 BCE
The mask is created and
buried in a grave shaft
c.1260–1180 BCE
The modern date range
of the Trojan War, and
time of mythic figure
Agamemnon, are too late
to coincide with the mask
1871 Heinrich Schliemann
begins work at Troy
(modern-day Hisarlik)
at the behest of British
archaeologist Frank Calvert
1876 Schliemann discovers
the mask and cables the
King of Greece
1972 Archaeologist
David Calder criticizes
Schliemann’s work and
other critics follow, casting
doubt on his finds
1983 The Central
Archaeological Council
rejects a request for the mask
to be tested on advice from
the National Archaeological
Museum, Athens, where
the artefact still resides
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