A 9,000-year-old stone mask dating to the pre-pottery Neolithic B Period will be presented at a conference of the Israel Prehistoric Society on Thursday, Channel 10 News reported Wednesday.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority's Unit for the Prevention of Antiquity Robberies received a tip about the mask at the beginning of the year. Researchers were able to track it down and pinpoint the excavation from which it had been removed, in the south Hebron Hills region.
According to Ronit Lupo of the unit, the mask is a "unique" archaeological find, made even rarer because researchers know where it was discovered.
"The fact that we have confirmed information about where it was found makes this mask more important than most of the masks from the same period," she said.
The limestone mask was created using stone tools and mimics the features of a human face. The edges of the mask have four holes, which might have been used to tie it onto a person's face or a post.
Lupo noted that the mask had been finely worked and finished.
"The stone is completely smooth. The facial features are completely symmetrical, and it was even given cheekbones. But what is more impressive is the mouth with teeth," she said.
Dr. Omry Barzilai, head of archaeological research at the IAA, said the mask was contemporary with the agricultural revolution.
"The transition from a hunter-gatherer existence to the cultivation of plants and animals was accompanied by changes to cultural structure and a sharp increase in ritual-religious activity," Barzilai said.
Lupo said the period was characterized by ancestor worship.
"We find skulls buried beneath stone floors that were treated and cared for in various ways. The stone masks are similar in size to a human face, so we tend to associate them with that form of worship," Lupo said.
