Over at Live Science, Owen Jarus reports on a visually stunning and spooky mask recently discovered in Pennsylvania:
The lead archaeologist thinks the mask dates to about 900 AD and may have been used by a shaman. Other archaeologists think the mask may be more recent and aren’t sure whether it was a ritual or personal item.
Interpreting objects such as this is always fraught with difficulty and in the absence of additional context, we are left to speculate. If I had to guess, I would say the mask was made and used by an aboriginal musician who presaged the appearance of Slipknot:
