Pagan Mask Found at Russian Site

Archaeologists recently discovered a 1,000-year-old pagan mask in the historical center of Veliki Novgorod. According to the head of the pit Victor Singh, the mask has openings for the mouth and eyes and was most likely cut from the top of a long leather boot. The back part has holes for small straps or cords, which were fastened at the back of the head.

“The mask was probably used during some pagan rites,” Singh explained. It was found in the cultural layer dating to the 12th century. In all, around 20 masks have been unearthed at the site.

Click here for the Russian InfoCentre article.

Pagan Altar Found in Ashqelon

A 24-inch-high, 2,000-year-old granite structure ~ adorned with carvings of three bull heads, ribbons, and laurel wreaths ~ was found last week in the southern Israel city of Ashqelon.

One of the oldest port cities in the Holy Land, Ashqelon may have been inhabited as early as the Neolithic period, which began around 9,500 B.C. The cemetery where the altar was found served Ashqelon's general pagan population.

The newfound altar was probably imported to the city from elsewhere in the Roman Empire by an upper-middle-class family and placed at their family burial plot. The altar's bulls’ heads probably represented the god Zeus, authorities believe.

Click here for the National Geographic article.