The settlement at 'Ain Ghazal was a village of farmers, hunters, and herders occupied between 7200 and 5000 B.C. during the Neolithic period (ca. 8500­p;4500 B.C.). Its inhabitants made objects for daily use,
such as stone tools and weapons, and objects that seem to have served symbolic functions, such as small clay figurines of animals and humans.
More sophisticated works of art have also been discovered at `Ain Ghazal: large,
human-form statues and busts made of plaster, and faces in plaster, which had been modeled on human skulls. These unique finds have been uncovered, studied, and preserved at the Smithsonian Institution's Conservation Analytical Laboratory in suburban Washington, D.C.
This exhibition seeks to show the important steps in the process of recovery and preservation. In addition to wall texts and object labels, an illustrated brochure and an interactive computer program providing more
information are available within the exhibition space.
The objects in this exhibition have been lent by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.
The brochure, interactive computer program, and Website were produced by the
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in consultation with the Smithsonian Institution's Conservation Analytical Laboratory, and are supported by a grant from the James Smithson Society. |
