This triangular Neolithic face mask has two round eyes, and a round opening for the mouth, and is decorated with striations that emanate like the ripples of a pond from the vertices and sides of the piece. It is small and thin, but solid and well-made. The carving is smooth and accomplished, and shows some capacity for stonework. The reverse of the mask is smooth and slightly concaved. The finger-sized eye and mouth holes must have been drilled with a bone bow-drill, achieving a smooth finish. There is slight erosion to the centre of the mask.

An increasing number of masks are known from the Neolithic from across the Middle East. Their purpose was unknown, but it is speculated that they were involved in some kind of ancestor worship. This seems less likely for this mask, however. Masks from elsewhere seem to attempt to accurately represent the features of an individual; this mask instead has unique, other-worldly features, and so may represent some kind of deity or spirit. The use of this mask in ritual is unknown, since it is far too small to be worn or held against the face. One potential suggestion is that it may have been used to cast shadows from the fire, as part of ritual storytelling or ceremony.

The mask’s unnatural features and almost ethereal quality have led some to speculate extra-terrestrial origins, from a civilization as yet unknown to mankind. Regardless of its origin, or its intended purpose, it is a clear connection to some of the earliest inhabitants of this planet.