Mycenae Mask of Agamemnon

The Golden Mask of Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae: The Mask of Agamemnon is an artifact discovered in Mycenae in 1876 by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. This mask is made of gold and is a funeral mask found over the face of a dead body in a burial place at Mycenae. Schliemann thought that the body and the mask are of the legendary King Agamemnon.

However, modern researchers and archaeologists are of the opinion that the mask dates from an era much before the life and reign of Agamemnon. Whatever the case is, this mask is crafted out of pure gold and such masks were put on the faces of deceased kings and royal people.

According to Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope. He was the leader of the Greeks during the Trojan War, as Mycenae was the most powerful Greek town at that time. He was also the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra. Agamemnon had three daughters and one son. One of his daughters, Iphigenia, was sacrificed to goddess Artemis so that the wind blows and the Greek ships could set sail to Troy. When Agamemnon returned to his kingdom after the end of the Trojan War, he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, in revenge for the sacrifice of Iphigenia.

The controversy and the doubt of authenticity over this mask remain till today. This golden exhibit is currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. In spite of all the doubts, this distinguished mask of gold which is about 12 inches in height is still known as the Mask of Agamemnon and is one of the most prized discoveries from the ancient Mycenaean ages.