Death Mask of Pakal the Great

The death mask of Mayan king Pakal the Great.

The death mask and jade ornaments found on the skeleton of Pakal. Wolfgang Sauber/cc by-sa 3.0

The mask is displayed in a reproduction of Pakal’s tomb at the National Museum of Anthropology. El Comandante/cc by-sa 3.0

The Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque, where Pakal’s tomb and death mask were found.
jc_castaneda/cc by-sa 3.0

When it was discovered in 1952 during an excavation of the Temple of Inscriptions in the ruined Mayan city of Palenque (modern-day Mexico), this intricate jade death mask had been lying in a darkened tomb chamber for over a thousand years, covering a skull. Inscriptions on the walls indicated that the skull belonged to none other than the Mayan king K’inich Janaab’ Pakal, known today as Pakal the Great.

For much of his long 68-year reign during the 7th century, the Mayan king Pakal (meaning “Sun Shield”) was the most powerful person in the entire Americas. But despite the lofty status he held in the twilight of his life, he…

Click here to read more

The post Death Mask of Pakal the Great appeared first on FeedBox.

Ссылка на первоисточник

Понравилась статья? Подпишитесь на канал, чтобы быть в курсе самых интересных материалов

Feedbox

Death Mask of Pakal the Great