A Phoenician bearded male mask from Tel Akko

A ninth-century Phoenician mold-made terracotta mask of an idealized, bearded adult male was found recently during archaeological excavations at Tel Akko. Similar masks have been found at other sites in the Levant and on Cyprus. The context of the Akko mask is a secondary fill in the area of the tel with a long tradition of metal-working. Items recovered with the mask include fragments of figurines and other cult-related items, as well as pottery. This paper provides a discussion of the mask, its archaeological context, and ways in which it may have been used.