In ancient Egypt masks were used for primarily two things burials and rituals. It was very important to Egyptians of the concept of life after death. They went through extensive processes of mummification to preserve the bodies. They believed it was important for the soul to be able to identify the body. Due to this they used death masks. The earliest death masks made by the Egyptians were constructed from wood in two pieces and then connected by pegs. As time progressed they adopted the method of molding a material made out of papyrus on a wooden mold. These were used for lower class. For upper class death masks were made out of precious metals like gold and bronze. The second most important masks in Egyptian culture was ritual masks. These masks were worn by priests. The ritual masks resembled animals and gods of ancient Egypt. As an example Anubis, the god of death, like the mask on the top right, was worn during funerals. The masks worn by priests were thought to make the priest into a godly figure himself.
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