Plastered human skulls are human skulls covered in layers of plaster. They are typically found in the ancient Levant, especially around Jericho, between 8,000 and 6,000 BC (about 9,000 years ago) during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period. These skulls are among the oldest examples of art in the Middle East. They show that early people carefully buried their ancestors under their homes. The skulls are some of the earliest sculptural examples of faces in art history.

The process usually involved removing the jawbone. Signs of wear suggest the skulls were handled over time. These skulls were often buried with other human remains. Each group of skulls has a similar style. The skulls are generally tilted backward. There is no clear pattern about the age or gender of the people chosen for plastering.

Discovery

In the 1930s, an archaeologist named John Garstang found a skull by accident at Jericho in Palestine. Later, in the 1950s, Kathleen Kenyon, a British archaeologist, discovered several plastered skulls at Jericho. These skulls are now displayed in museums such as the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Chau Chak Wing Museum in Sydney, and the Jordan Archaeological Museum.

Plastered skulls have also been found at other places, such as Ain Ghazal near Amman, Jordan, and Tell Ramad in Syria. Most of these skulls belonged to adult men, but some were from women and children.

Archaeological significance

The plastered skulls show some of the earliest ways people buried their dead in the southern Levant. During the Neolithic period, the deceased were often buried under the floors of their homes. This means a plastered skull was sometimes placed under a floor made of plaster. Sometimes the skull was taken out and filled with plaster, then painted. To make the faces look more real, shells were placed inside for eyes, and paint was used to show facial features, hair, and mustaches.

Some experts think this burial method was a way to honor family ancestors, showing early ancestor worship. Other experts suggest the skulls might have been used as trophies from head hunting, but there is not much evidence for this idea. Plastered skulls give information about the earliest art and religious practices in the ancient Near East.

Quality

Schmandt-Besserat praised the skill shown in one example in her review of writings and artifacts.

Skull 88-1, which is about 9,000 years old, is a special example of artistic skill. The skull is made of plaster and shows a high level of skill in creating the human face. It shows the work of someone who fully understood how to use plaster, carefully shaped the face, and created detailed features. The eyebrows and the gentle look in the eyes are especially well done.

The author lists several places where discoveries were made: Jericho; Beisamoun, Kfar HaHoresh, and Yiftahel; Tell Ramad and Tell Awad in Syria; and Kösk Höyük in Turkey.

Texts

An ancient written record found in the Tale of Aqhat mentions the following:

"A mortal, what does he get in the end? What does a mortal finally receive? Glaze poured on his head, lime on top of his skull."

External

The museum's oldest artwork is the Jericho skull, which has eyes made of shells. https://www.ashmolean.org/jericho-skull