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These three plaster faces, also found at 'Ain Ghazal, Jordan, in 1985, were modeled on human skulls. Buried in a group, these decorated skulls may point to an ancestor cult. Plaster and bitumen, height
12­p;16 cm, around 7000 B.C.
The 'Ain Ghazal statues consist of two types: full statues and busts. Conservation work carried out in London and at the Smithsonian Institution revealed many details concerning their
manufacture. Both types were formed by modeling plaster over an armature, or internal framework, made of bundles of reeds wrapped with twine. Although now completely disintegrated, the armature materials are preserved as
impressions on the interior surface of the statues. Facial features were probably shaped by hand or with simple tools made of stone, bone, or wood. Eyes were outlined and pupils indicated with a black paste containing bitumen, a
natural asphalt. Some of the faces preserve traces of paint.
What do the statues depict? They lack arms and specific indications of gender. Their large size and careful burial at the site suggest that they represented
important individuals, perhaps family or clan ancestors. The two-headed busts could represent human couples, but they could also point to a nonhuman --- perhaps a superhuman --- world. Perhaps the statues and busts served as images
of heroes, gods, or goddesses and were worshiped as part of religious ceremonies, then later buried when new images were considered necessary. Art historians and archaeologists are still trying to answer these and other questions
about the meaning and purpose of the statues. |
