CIA, Mossad Collaborated on Killing Hezbollah No. 2 Leader in Damascus
ISIS Beheads Kenji Goto
Netanyahu Says ‘Procedural Problems’ Easier to Fix Than Nuclear Threat
IDF Kills 1 Terrorist, Wounds Another in Samaria
Egypt Designates Hamas a Terrorist Organization
V15 US Political Operative Marinated in Hate-Israel Activism
Bibi, Iran’s Nukes, and Military Force in a Changed Middle East
Hamas ‘War Crimes Camp’ Graduates Trains 17,000 Teens for Terror
Obama Wins War on Terror By Saying It Doesn’t Exist [video]
State Dept. Says Taxpayers’ Money not Used in V-15 Campaign
Israel’s Wix Web Platform Company Unveils Super Bowl Ad [video]
Sen. Cruz Asks if Obama Behind V-15 ‘Political Campaign against Netanyahu’
Shin Bet Sting Nabs Israeli Arabs Joining Al Qaeda, ISIS
ISIS Attacks Egypt, 27 Dead, Dozens Wounded
My Zaidie, Rabbi Sholom Klass
Oldest Known Masks in the World on Display in Israel
print
Happy Purim? One of 11 of the oldest masks in the world on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Photo Credit: Israel Museum
A new display in Jerusalem is showcasing the oldest-known masks in the world, believed to have originated 9,000 years ago, long before Purim.
The 11 masks are made of stones and were discovered in the Judean desert near Jerusalem. Experts believe the masks were meant to look like skulls, with each displaying a unique personality via emotional expressions of shock or grinning.
“When you go back to objects that are this old, that are so much before the theology that becomes Judaism, Christianity and then Islam, to feel that there is a kind of a connection, that this is all part of a continuous story, is something that is pretty thrilling,” said Israel Museum director James Snyder, the Associated Press reported.
The custom of mask making and wearing dates back at least 25,000 years although no masks that old have been found, according to exhibit curator Debby Hershman, with the earliest masks most likely made of animal materials. Later, stone masks originated at the time when humans living in the Fertile Crescent adopted agriculture.
“It’s the most important revolution that ever happened,” Hershman said. The people who fashioned the masks, she said, “are actually the founders of civilization.”
About the Author: www.JNS.org is an independent, non-profit business resource and wire service covering Jewish news and Israel news for Jewish media throughout the English-speaking world.
If you don't see your comment after publishing it, refresh the page.
Our comments section is intended for meaningful responses and debates in a civilized manner. We ask that you respect the fact that we are a religious Jewish website and avoid inappropriate language at all cost.
If you promote any foreign religions, gods or messiahs, lies about Israel, anti-Semitism, or advocate violence (except against terrorists), your permission to comment may be revoked.
5 Responses to “Oldest Known Masks in the World on Display in Israel”
4
There are holes around the sides of the mask that would mean that the mask was fastened on. Does the mouth allow for breathing, or the nose? I am afraid to say more.
That mask looks a lot like John Kerry.
It looks heavy and uncomfortable, doesn't it? Of all the building materials they had, why would they use stone unless it was for a very special occasion/ceremony/ritual? Wouldn't it be nice to look back in time to see exactly what was going on in those moments? Hopefully, they'll uncover extra artifacts to shed light on their purpose.
It reminds me of the death mask from the original Twilight Zone.
I believe it was not for a celebritory for the wearer.
Cheri Fistel, yeah, it doesn't look like it. And even though it has a smile, when you look at the sunken eyes, the smile suddenly looks more like a grimace of pain or a smile tempered by sadness.