Our ancestors had used gold leaves for burial purposes in ancient Egypt, Sumeria, and Mycenae. The precise function of these leaves is a matter of conjecture; their shape suggests that they were used to cover various parts of the face and body. Some such leaves covered the face, others the eyes or forehead, and still others the chest. They may have been intended to preserve the corpse or perhaps to repel evil spirits. The latter explanation is particularly plausible in the case of leaves shaped like Medusa's head. The featured showcase displays an assortment of gold leaves from the collection of the National Museum of Damascus.
Bašīr Zuhdī. Lamḥā ʿan al-ḥilī al-ḏahabīyyā al-qadīmā wa rawaʾiʿihā fi al-matḥaf al-waṭanī bi Dimašq. Annales Archéologiques Arabes Syriennes XIII 1963 (pp. 71-98).
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