Ain Ghazal statues

E398851

The Ain Ghazal statues are some of the world’s oldest known large-scale human figures, Neolithic plaster sculptures discovered near Amman that provide key insights into early settled life and ritual in the Levant.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Ain Ghazal statues canonical 1
ʿAin Ghazal statues 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Neolithic sculpture
archaeological artifact
plaster statue
associatedWith domestication of plants and animals
early agricultural communities
conservationStatus fragile
country Jordan
creationTechnique coated with layers of lime plaster
modeled over reed bundles
painted after drying
culture Pre-Pottery Neolithic
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
currentLocation British Museum
Jordan Museum
Louvre Museum
other international museums
discoveredAt Ain Ghazal excavation
linked to: Ain Ghazal
discoveredBy archaeologists in Jordan
discoveredIn 1983
endTime circa 6500 BC
excavationPhase multiple discovery seasons in the 1980s and 1990s
feature detailed facial features
flat backs
inlaid eyes
life-sized human figures
painted decoration
stylized bodies
two-headed statues
locatedIn Ain Ghazal
locatedNear Amman
material bitumen
cowrie shells
lime plaster
paint
plaster
reed core
partOf Ain Ghazal archaeological site
linked to: Ain Ghazal
period Neolithic
quantity over 30 statues and busts
region Levant
linked to: Levant region
significance among the oldest known large-scale human figures
important evidence for early settled life in the Levant
key source for Neolithic ritual practices
major example of early Near Eastern art
startTime circa 7200 BC
use ancestor veneration
religious practice
ritual purpose

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Jordan Museum exhibits Ain Ghazal statues
Jordan Museum collection ʿAin Ghazal statues
subject linked to: National museums of Jordan
linked to: Ain Ghazal statues