During the International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near-East (ICAANE) 4-6 avril 2018 (Munich)

http://www.icaane2018.vorderas-archaeologie.uni-muenchen.de/index.html

I will participate to a workshop on the Phoenicians:

Aspects of the phoenician religion: clay cultic and mortuary masks

What are the ritual and mortuary practices related to the numerous clay masks found in tombs and on sites in the Levant? What about their uses and function?

The presentation will mostly rely on the discovery in Tel Achziv in 2016 of a clay mask mold from an Iron IIA in situ context. This unique object was associated to a closed group of complete vessels (bowls, jars, chalices, goblets,…) that had also a specific role. The cultural aspects related to this mask mold will be analyzed.

Also the discovery of a phoenician tomb in 2017 in Achziv with unique finds will be shortly evoked.