Project:

Theatre Masks in Ancient Greece & Rome

This timeline was the by-product of research to create Greek-style masks. While no actual theatre masks of the time have survived, there are lots of images on vases and in sculpture, particularly on sarcophagi. These images don’t help much with construction methods and the accuracy depicting how they fit on an actor’s head is questionable at best. However, by looking at a fair number of them, one does begin to see the distinct styles emerge and how those styles change over time. I needed to see them laid out in chronological order — especially since BC/AD, BCE/ACE, and numbered years vs “centuries” makes my head spin. The result was what you see below.  

It’s best viewed on a wider screen (desktop, laptop, maybe a tablet).  If you are the scholarly type and notice something incorrect, feel free to let me know (use the contact form in the footer).  I don’t own the copyright to these images, and I am sharing them here for educational purposes only.  Sources are listed at the bottom.