Mwaash Mask

The mask thought to be the Golden Mask of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae Greece, Agamemnon Funerary mask, from Grave Circle A, Mycenae, Greece, ca. 1600–1500 BCE. Beaten gold, 1 high. Mycenaean was found in 1876 and resides at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. There are many Ngady a Mwaash masks from the Kuba people, the specific pieces Ngady a Mwaash, Southern Savanna, Democratic of the Congo, ca. 19th century. Wood, pigment, cloth, beads, cowry shells. resides in the Dayton At Institute in Dayton, Ohio. The Funerary mask differs strongly from the Ngady a Mwaash in appearance, apart from the fact that both pieces were clearly made to fit the human face, their composition of materials vary from each other. The Golden Mask was

Ngady a Mwaash is the female of a trio of masks, and it depicts the sister and consort of the primordial ancestor. The other masks of this trio are called Mwaash a Mbwooy, also known as Woot who represents the king, and the mask Bwoon who represents the king’s younger brother. Sometimes the Bwoon and Mwaash a Mbwooy will compete for the favor of Ngady a Mwaash. The Ngady a Mwaash represents female but is worn by a man in ceremonies for funerals, initiation and retelling the origin story of the Kuba people. Aspects of the Ngady a Mwaash mask have significance. Beads that run over the nose to the mouth represent the silence of women, while the lines slanting under the eyes depict tears, representing the hardships women face. The colors of the lines are also important to note as white lines symbolize mourning and the red lines symbolize suffering. Painted triangles on the upper face of the mask represent hearthstones to indicate the domestic life of

The mask was found fastened to the face of a deceased man in Grave Circle A in Mycenae, Greece. While this man was not Agamemnon as archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann had stated, the mask undoubtedly belonged to a man from an important and powerful family, just as other deceased found in Circle A were likely from. Along with these golden masks was an abundance of gold items such as bracelets, cups, crowns, necklaces, swords and daggers. Dating from 1600-1500 BC, the mask comes from the time where Mycenae was one of the three primary culture in Ancient Aegean culture. The lack of artifacts with written language brings greater importance to these artifacts found in and around the citadel of Mycenae, as they are the only evidence to profile what the lives of these people were like. Mycenae’s fortified city and amplitude of swords and daggers could indicate a civilization that was offensive or