What is the meaning of the goatee style beard on an Egyptian funeral mask?

Answer 1

Ancient Egyptian art depicting the longer, rounded phallus style goatee seen on on death masks and statues often meant that the item was made posthumously or had religious meaning. Most commonly it is a sign of divinity. One theory, is that it was to show that even after death, they were to be remembered as great and strong leaders, perhaps wishing them fertility in the next life.

In contrast, the shorter, squared shaped goatee represents that the person was alive when the image was made. Likewise, during some religious ceremonies and other occasions, false beards of this fashion were sometimes worn by pharaohs. It is possible that this was as a sign of humbleness before the greater gods, since they themselves were seen as divine beings.

Further evidence of this duality is depicted on sarcophagi. In one hand a scepter is grasped, and in the other, a farmer's crook cane. The belief was that pharaohs were to be farmers in the after life. They were crossing from this life as a ruler and entering the next as a servant.