A Costa Rican Marble Bird Mace Head, Greater Nicoya, Period IV, ca. 300 - 500 CE Funerary & Religious Equipment each holding the life sign

each holding the life sign ankh in their right hand and a was scepter in their left

The mask stands out for its geometric simplicity

The oval face is accentuated with downcast eyes below gracefully arched eyebrows

with elaborate disc decorated bridle

A Costa Rican Marble Bird Mace Head, Greater Nicoya, Period IV, ca. 300 - 500 CE Funerary & Religious Equipment each holding the life signCarved from smooth white marble, the round body with a stylized bird head featuring an elongated beak gently carved to indicate a mouth and a raised double head crest along the top of the head. Used as a symbolic object rather than a functional one, mace heads of this type occur in many different materials, sizes, and subjects. Found in most high status graves, mace heads most probably served as identifiers of the person's clan or family through a