Plastered human skulls are human skulls covered in layers of plaster and were commonly found in the ancient Levant, especially near the city of 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 forms of art in the Middle East and show that early people carefully buried their ancestors beneath their homes. They are also some of the earliest examples of sculptural art that depict human faces.

The process usually involved removing the jawbone. Signs of wear indicate that these skulls were touched or handled over time. They were often buried with other human remains, and each group of skulls shows a similar style. The skulls are typically tilted backward, and there is no clear pattern in the age or gender of the people whose skulls were plastered.

Discovery

In the 1930s, one skull was accidentally found by archaeologist John Garstang at Jericho in Mandatory Palestine. In the 1950s, British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon discovered several plastered skulls at Jericho. These skulls are now displayed in the collections of 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 were also found at other sites, including Ain Ghazal near Amman, Jordan, and Tell Ramad in Syria. Most of these skulls belonged to adult males, but some were from women and children.

Archaeological significance

The plastered skulls show some of the earliest burial practices in the southern Levant. During the Neolithic period, people often buried the dead under the floors of their homes. This means that sometimes a plaster skull was placed under a plaster floor. At times, the skull was removed, and its empty spaces were filled with plaster and painted. To make the faces look more realistic, shells were placed inside the eye sockets, and paint was used to show facial features, hair, and mustaches.

Some scholars think this practice was a way to honor family ancestors, showing respect and remembrance. Others suggest the skulls might have been used as trophies, possibly linked to head hunting, though there is little evidence to support this idea. These skulls offer important clues about the earliest art and religious traditions in the ancient Near East.

Quality

Schmandt-Besserat noted the skill of one example in her review of literature and specimens.

Finally, one word should be added about the very high artistic quality of Skull 88-1. This 9000-year-old plastered skull shows advanced skill in creating the human face. It shows the work of someone who fully understood their craft, handled difficult plaster techniques well, captured the face's structure, and did the modeling very well. The eyebrows and the dreamy expression of the eyes are especially impressive.

The author mentions the locations of some discoveries: Jericho; Beisamoun, Kfar HaHoresh, and Yiftahel; Tell Ramad and Tell Awad in Syria; and Kösk Höyük in Turkey.

Texts

A written record from history is found in the Tale of Aqhat.

"What does a person receive in the end? What does a person finally receive? A shiny coating poured on his head, a type of white powder placed on top of his skull."

External

This is the oldest portrait in the museum: the Jericho skull with shell eyes. https://www.ashmolean.org/jericho-skull