oldest masks go on display

[DrLeftover]

A collection of the world's oldest masks, dating back to the dawn of civilisation, have gone on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

The 9,000-year-old stone masks are thought to have been made to resemble the spirits of dead ancestors.

They have round holes for eyes, tiny noses and prominent displays of teeth.

Experts say they were made in the hills and deserts near Jerusalem and offer a rare glimpse of some of civilisation's first communal rituals.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26533994