Mysterious mask found in Libyan cistern – History

While excavating in the ancient Ptolemaic city on the Mediterranean coast of Libya, archaeologists discovered a complex water management system in a house from the late 2nd or early 3rd century AD. Part of the system was a cistern with a cistern inside. Anonymous human faces are made from hydraulic mortar on the walls.

Originally founded in the 7th century BC by Greek settlers from the island of Thera, it was a port town for its neighbor Barce and didn’t even have its own name. It is a large fortified city founded by Ptolemy III Euergetes of Egypt in the 3rd century BC and named Ptolemais after him. It flourished during the Hellenistic period under Roman rule and became the capital of the Imperial Province of Superior at the end of the 3rd century AD

An archaeological mission from the University of Warsaw began excavations at the site in 2001 and continued every quarter until 2011, mapping the city’s grid through geophysical scans and uncovering important structures, including the striking Leukaktios House, with its richly colored walls, doorways and mosaic floors. Their research was interrupted for 13 years by revolution and civil war. The mission resumed excavations in 2023 and fortunately, no major damage to the site from the war was found. (The invasive gray tobacco plant, however, wreaked havoc, growing into large bushes and cracking the walls of the excavation structure.)

This year’s excavation focused on the townhouse of a local dignitary. The eastern part of the villa was excavated, which contained a small covered courtyard surrounded by a kitchen, stairs to the first floor and a room with a mosaic floor. The floors were repaired many times, and the residence was repeatedly damaged by earthquakes that occurred in the second half of the third century. Three stone vessels found near the entrance indicate that the house was rebuilt during the late Roman Empire. During this period, such containers were often used to store money, goods, and gifts for officials living in the home.

The house has an advanced drinking water collection system. Its key element is the impluvium, which collects rainwater and drains it into two underground cisterns. […]

The most surprising find for archaeologists this season is a cast of a human face made from hydraulic mortar plastic blocks that cover the walls of a water tank. Archaeologists describe the mask as having no identifying properties. Furthermore, the lack of known analogies leaves wide scope for various interpretations.

“The face found in the cistern bears a certain resemblance to the face carved on the walls of the Libyan sanctuary at Sloane, south of Cyrene. The owner of the house cannot be completely excluded, or at least had a hand in the creation of the The person of the image was of Libyan origin. From inscriptional sources we know that citizenship of the Greek city of Cyrenaica was also granted to representatives of the rapidly assimilated Libyan elite from at least the first century BC,” Piotr said. Dr. Jaworski explains.