The centerpiece of the exhibition “A Journey to Ancient Greece” at China’s Sanxingdui Museum is a life-size replica of the Mask of Agamemnon. This artifact is one of the most iconic treasures from the Greek Bronze Age, an era immortalized by Homer’s epics.
Discovered in 1876 by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann at the ancient citadel of Mycenae, the gold funerary mask dates to the 16th century BC.
Schliemann famously believed the mask belonged to the legendary king Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces in the Trojan War, even telegramming the Greek King to report he had “gazed upon the face of Agamemnon.”
While modern scholarship has dated the mask centuries before the likely lifetime of the mythical king, its popular name remains a testament to the powerful myth surrounding its discovery.
The replica of the Mask of Agamemnon
The replica showcased in China is historic itself, marking the first time the National Archaeological Museum of Greece has created an exact copy of an artifact using advanced photogrammetry—a technique for creating 3D models from photographs.
The museum’s metals conservation laboratory undertook the complex process:
Digital Modeling: Conservators assembled the digital model from roughly 300 high-resolution photographs of both the front and back of the mask. This process, according to conservator Maria Kontaki, is “essentially like a magnification of the object,” revealing previously obscured tool marks and construction details.
Challenges: The greatest technical hurdle was the highly reflective gold surface, which required careful lighting to eliminate glare and ensure accurate data capture.
Production: After two months of work, the digital file was used to 3D-print a resin model. A bronze version was then cast from the resin and finally gilded before being shipped for the exhibition in China.
Visitors to the exhibition, which runs until December, are captivated by the replica and patiently wait to pose behind it, capturing a unique photo opportunity as if they themselves were wearing the legendary Mycenaean relic.
