Archaeologists unearth 2,000-year-old mask mold believed to depict Medusa

Archaeologists in Sicily, Italy, have discovered a mask mold believed to depict Medusa.

The mask mold was found at Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park (VTAP), the park announced.

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“The discovery occurred in the excavation of house 18, a building from the late Republican age which, in its last phase of use, around the beginning of the 1st century BC,” said VTAP’s press release. 

Archaeologists have unveiled a mask mold believed to depict Medusa in Sicily, Italy, at Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park. (Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park )

Archaeologists believe the house was “probably transformed into an artisan workshop dedicated to the production of masks.”

The mold shows a stern-faced female with tresses of curly hair.

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Greek myth Medusa has a “fierce and grotesque or feminine and composed” face with “hair made of snakes,” according to The Met’s website.

Medusa represents “a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats, an image of evil to repel evil.” (iStock)

“The most common interpretation of Medusa suggests she is an apotropaic symbol used to protect from and ward off the negative, much like the modern evil eye,” the site adds. 

Medusa represents “a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats, an image of evil to repel evil.”

The mold was found during a research program called “Finziade Project.”

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Finziade was an ancient Greek city in Sicily that was founded in 282 BCE, according to Archeology News. 

Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park, an archaeological site in Sicily, Italy, is open to visitors during the weekdays, with tickets starting at about $18. (iStock, Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park)

“This discovery contributes to shedding light on the productive activities and symbolic culture of the ancient Finziade, highlighting the role that craftsmanship played in Sicily during the Roman period,” added the release. 

The park is open to visitors during the weekdays, with tickets starting at around $18.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park for comment.