Research Paper On The Mask Of Agamemnon

Angel Allen
Professor Mosley
English 1102
30 September 2014
The Mask of Agamemnon
The Mask of Agamemnon is probably one of the most beautiful masks crafted in gold ever discovered. It was founded by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876 (Abramitis). Schliemann was an archaeologist who did an excavation of Mycenae and discovered the mask. It is believed that the mask was from the Bronze Age in Greece (Abramitis). The Mask of Agamemnon was not the only gold mask found. In fact, it was one of many masks that covered the faces of the Grecian soldiers who had died during the war (Abramitis). This mask is loved by many of the Grecian people and others around the world.
As mentioned before, the Mask of Agamemnon is beautiful artifact in Greek culture. Many
archaeologists have examined this mask and they all have come up with different interpretations of the mask.
While looking at the mask, one may notice the distinctive eyebrows of this artifact. Unlike other masks found along with the Mask of Agamemnon, the eyebrows on the mask seemed to have two arches (Traill). Also, looking at the mask from the side, one can actually see little hairs coming out from the eyebrows to give the mask a more realistic look (Traill). The next thing archaeologists pointed out were the eyes of the mask. The eyes on the Agamemnon mask seem to have its eyes open, but on the other masks the eyes are closed. The next focus was on the ears. On the other three masks, the ears appear to be flattened on the sides (Traill). However, on the Mask of Agamemnon, the ears appear to resemble the ears on an actual human (Traill). Next, the archaeologists examined the mouth, lips,
and chin of the mask. In contrast to the other masks, the Agamemnon mask had a distinctive chin, the mouth was wider, and the lips were relatively thin (Traill). The other masks were different because the features were not as prominent as the features on the Mask of Agamemnon (Traill). Last but not least, was the facial hair on the mask. This is probably the feature that makes the Agamemnon mask stands out from the other masks. While the other three masks have no facial at all, the Mask of Agamemnon has a beard that starts from the ears and goes around the face to the chin (Traill). This particular feature symbolizes dominance and resembles that of a king.
In Greek Mythology, the Mask of Agamemnon was named after King Agamemnon of Mycenae (Abramitis). During the Trojan War, Agamemnon was the commander of the Greek soldiers (Gill). His father was Atreus, he was the older brother of Menelaus and he was married to Clytemnestra (Gill). Agamemnon was also arrogant and he tended to think he was better than the other Greek soldiers. In the midst of the Trojan War, his brother’s wife, Helen, was kidnapped by a Trojan prince (Agamemnon). Agamemnon felt like it was his duty to rescue his brother’s wife. So, he and his soldiers went to Troy to take back Menelaus wife, Helen. In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was a great warrior and fought to the best of this ability (Agamemnon). Sadly, in order to receive the recognition he wanted, King Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess Artemis so he can travel across the sea with good wind patterns to save his brother’s wife (Agamemnon). The Trojan War lasted for about ten years. When Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, heard about him killing their daughter, she was furious. Later, she arranged her own husband’s death due to his previous actions. Clytemnestra had Agamemnon killed, after he had returned from the Trojan War (Agamemnon). After Agamemnon was buried, the mask was placed on his face.
The Mask of Agamemnon is perhaps the most precious and sacred artifact in Greek culture. Even though, the artifact does not reside in Greece any longer, the Grecian people, especially those who believe in Greek mythology, still recognizes its beauty and its importance throughout history.
Works Cited
Abramitis, Dorothy H. "Mask of Agamemnon." 1 June 2011. The Metropolitian Museum of Art. Web. 22 September 2014.
"Agamemnon." n.d. Sparknotes. Web. 23 September 2014.
Gill, N.S. "Agamemnon." n.d. About Education. Web. 23 September 2014.
Traill, David A. "Behind the Mask of Agamemnon." July 1999. Archaeology. Web. 24 September 2014.