This terracotta model of a theatre mask is an example of the sort of evidence we have to use to find out about ancient Greek drama. Theatre is one of the most famous and most important legacies of ancient Greece to western culture, but ancient theatre performances and the context in which they took place were very different from what we experience today. The mask leads naturally into the exploration of costume, plays and theatres and should also prompt discussion of why theatre was important to the Greeks.
Melos, Greece
about 200 – 50 BC
Hellenistic Greece
terracotta
height: 12.5 cm
British Museum
(Please always check with the museum that the object is on display before travelling)