An accidental discovery from the '̕Hellenistic House' turned out to be a marble fragment of a larger statue, identified by specific characteristics as a likeness of a theatrical mask. Masks were initially related to the cult of Dionysus. The apotropaic and soteriadic character of masks was reflected in their funerary use, and has developed into symbolism of peace, well being and abundance. As a symbol of Dionysus they were used as decoration in various circumstances, with whole sets of dramatic

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... and comedy personages put on display in galleries, often in the peristyles of residents of the wealthy. In the case of the Paphos find, the asymmetric rendering of the features of this small unfinished piece make it half-angry and half-prying, somewhere between the Principal Slave and some other New Comedy persona as listed in the Onomastikon of the lexicographer Pollux.