Ancient Theater Masks Rediscovered in Pompeii

July 21, 2009 -- A set of 15 mysterious life-size masks, reminiscent of ancient Roman drama, have been rediscovered in Pompeii after being forgotten for more than two centuries, according to Italian archaeologists who have shown them for the first time at an exhibition in Naples, Italy.

Made of plaster, the rather heavy masks were unearthed in 1749 in Pompeii during the excavations promoted by King Charles of Bourbon. They were deposited, along with many other artifacts, in the Royal Palace of Portici, a town on the Bay of Naples.

"They ended up being totally forgotten, and indeed we do not have much information about them. We do not even know where they were unearthed in Pompeii. The 18th century dig journals only vaguely record that 15 masks were excavated," Mariarosaria Borriello, the scholar who rediscovered the masks, told Discovery News.

According to Borriello, the fact that the large plaster masks were all dug up in the same place, might suggest they belonged to an artisan's workshop.

A closer look at the artifacts revealed that the plaster was carefully hand-worked.

Moreover, some of the masks have their mouth shut, a clear indication that they were used as models for a craftsman who then produced lighter masks for actors to wear.

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"Two masks show letters in the space usually reserved to the mouth. While the meaning of one is incomprehensible, on the other we can clearly read the word 'Buco,'" Borriello said. The word refers to Buccus, a stock character from the earliest form of Italian farce, known as fabula Atellana.

Deriving its name from the town of Atella in the southern Campania region, the fabula Atellana was a form of entertainment widely popular from the second century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. Basically a form of improvised farce, it used masked actors, stock characters and conventional plots.

"Not all of the masks belong to the fabula Atellana, but finding at least one evidence linked to it is very important. Indeed, no fragment of early Atellan farces has survived," Borriello said.

Probably deriving its name from bucca (mouth), the mask of Buccus features very large cheeks. It represents one of the four Atellan characters that are known to belong to this rustic improvisational entertainment. The characters include Pappus, the old fool, Maccus, the clown, Dossenus, the trickster, and Buccus, the braggart.

"These masks are indeed a unique finding. Further study is needed to better understand them. The cryptic words on one of them adds to their mystery," said Valeria Sampaolo, director of Naples Archaeological Museum where the masks are on display until the end of August.

Related Links:

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