A painted mask discovered on a mummy at the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Deir el-Banat reveals the artistry of cartonnage, a papier-mâché-like material used to make funerary coverings and coffins.

The mummies recently unearthed at the site date to the era of Greek rule over ancient Egypt, which began around the fourth century B.C.

“They [are] some of the best examples of mummies from this period,” said Zahi Hawass, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

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