Will Neolithic West Bank mask spark modern-day culture war?
A Neolithic mask found in the Judean Desert is a relic from a bygone spiritual belief system prevalent in the region around 9,000 years ago.
One of the world’s oldest masks, dating to the dawn of the agricultural revolution thousands of years ago, was recently discovered in the West Bank. The mask's vacant eyes, bared teeth and enigmatic purpose have led Israeli archaeologists to hail it as a unique and rare find.
The particulars surrounding the mask’s discovery and its examination by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) were presented at a conference Nov. 29 at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The artifact, from the Neolithic period, is a relic of a bygone spiritual belief system prevalent in the region around 9,000 years ago.
