Death masks of Mycenae

The death masks of Mycenae are a series of golden funerary masks found on buried bodies within a burial site titled Grave Circle A, located within the ancient Greek city of Mycenae.

[2] The relative scarcity of death masks in Grave Circle B indicate that the buried dead were of lesser wealth or status, rather than Grave Circle A with an abundance of material made from valuable materials, such as the Death masks.

These were made by chiseling fine facial details into a flat sheet of gold which had first been pounded against a wooden mold.

[citation needed] This is an example of the repoussé style of adding detail to metal works.

[4] The masks were likely direct representations of the deceased, symbolizing a continuation of the dead's identity in death, similar to funerary statues and incisions, immortalizing an idealized depiction of the deceased.