Coinlectic

Golden masks were often used for funeral processions 🪦 to pay tribute to the deceased warriors and rulers. They mostly had a religious significance, rather than the aesthetic one.

Made of gold metal sheet, funeral masks were discovered in Thracian, Macedonian, Assyrian, Hellenistic, Ancient Egyptian burials. The most well-known artifact of this type is undoubtedly the golden Mask of Agamemnon.

🏺🗿This Greek mask (Slide 2) dated around 6th century B.C. was likely pressed against the deceased warrior's face to render the face relief. It looks like it was attached to an Illyrian helmet judging by the perforated holes on top of it.

Masks and helmets are often found together. This is well documented from a number of Archeological sites. The graves often contain other objects such as bronze shield, iron swords, spear-points, gold ornaments and jewerly, chariot models, figures, etc.📿🛡

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This beautiful AR didrachm was minted in Rhodos. The obverse depicts Helios, a god of Sun often represented as the patron of Rhodes island. You can see him shining facing the right side; On reverse – a rose with a bud 🌹, and standing Athena holding aphlaston to left.

According to legends, Helios had a son from his sea-nymph wife Rhode named Phaethon. Once he asked his father for a favor – to ride a blazing chariot across the heavens. Helios 🌞 promised to do anything his son wished for and kept this promise.

The tragedy was inevitable since only Helios was one who knew how to ride a chariot. Still, he allowed his son to fulfil his wish. There wasn't any ABS back then, so Phaethon started losing control of the chariot rather fast. He came too close to the Earth's orbit and nearly set it on fire🔥! Zeus couldn’t watch this madness go on, so he struck him down with a thunderbolt 🌩 to stop further damage done to Earth. 🌎

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