Clay mask of Huwawa

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The Clay Mask of Huwawa, a fearsome monster from the Epic of Gilgamesh, is said to have been a guardian of the Cedar forest. Gilgamesh proposed a perilous journey to his friend Enkidu, urging them to fell the Lebanese cedars and slaughter the monstrous Huwawa, an endeavor that would bring them eternal renown despite ominous signs warning against it. Undeterred by these omens, Gilgamesh and Enkidu successfully defeated the fearsome creature, often depicted as grotesque, with his face likened to the entrails of a sheep. The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History houses an ancient relic known as the Clay Mask of Huwawa, cataloged as BC.007441 (formerly NBC 4465). This artifact was meticulously scanned and processed by Chelsea Alene Graham, Digital Imaging Specialist at the Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, using advanced technology in 2017. Further refinement was achieved through software manipulation in Rhino and Meshmixer, with geometry uploaded at a resolution of 0.3 mm.