Tell al-Mumbāqa (Mask)

 

This clay mask from Tell al-Mumbāqa is well preserved. It represents a character with curly hair, a low forehead, large slanted eyes, small ears, a large curved nose, and a slightly open mouth. The combed wavy lines decorating its lower part have been interpreted either as the beard or wrinkles, which would imply that the portrayed person was a male adult or an old man. The mask was found leaning against the inner wall of a house. 

Provenance: Tell al-Mumbāqa.

Era: Late Bronze Age (14th to 12th century BC).

Dimensions: 16 x 14 cm. 

Photography: Nicholas Radall. 

Collection of the National Museum of Damascus. 

Orsingher, A. – Alkhalid, M. 2021, “Masking Phenomena in Late Bronze Age Syria. A New Mask from Ebla”, Studia Eblaitica 7, 159-190.

Highlights of the National Museum of Damascus. DGAM (Direction Générale des Antiquités et des Musées de Syrie). Ministère de la Culture, 2006