14 DAY TRIAL // Not long ago, a mask depicting Pan, the ancient god of the wild, of music and of enjoyment, was unearthed by a team of archaeologists excavating a site in Israel's Hippos-Sussita National Park.
The mask, shown in the photo accompanying this article, is made of bronze. It's bigger than the average human head, and according to the specialists who found it, it has been around for roughly 2,000 years.
Archaeologists and historians are all too familiar with ancient bronze masks. Still, this most recently discovered one is said to be one of a kind. This is because of its size and because of the god it depicts.
Apparently, bronze masks showing Pan are few and far between. Large bronze masks made to honor this deity are virtually inexistent. Well, expect for this one found in the Hippos-Sussita National Park.
“Most of the known bronze masks from the Hellenistic and Roman periods are miniature,” researcher Michael Eisenberg with the University of Haifa commented on the importance of this discovery.
The 2,000-year-old bronze mask comes complete with horns, a goat beard, and even long, pointy ears that made it possible for archaeologists to identify it as a representation of the god Pan.
The archaeological site that produced this artifact holds the remains of the pagan Roman city of Antiochia Hippos. Hence, it could be that the mask was once used in pagan rituals.