Field Report: A Plastered Human Skull from Neolithic 'Ain Ghazal, Jordan

Simmons, Alan H.; Boulton, Ann; Butler, Carol R; Kafafi, Zeidan; Rollefson, Gary O.

doi:10.1179/009346990791548574

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) burials were similar to the Natufians being pits dug in soil as in Sabra (Finlayson et al 2000), where the dead was placed in a flexed position (Kujit et al 1991). The Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (MPPNB) revealed new types of burials as the case in Ain Ghazal: sub-floor, courtyard with intact skulls, courtyard decapitated and infant burials (Rollefson 1986;Simmons et al 1990;Nessen et al 1991) (Fig. 3).…”

Section: The Neolithic Burial Practices (8500-4300 Bc)mentioning

confidence: 85%

Burial Practices in Jordan From the Natufians to the Persians

Al-Shorman¹,

Khwaileh²

2011

Estonian J. Archaeol.

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Jordan, rich in archaeological sites and the related funerary attributes, has the potential to reconstruct the life of past societies and deduce burial practices that, in turn, may assist in understanding these societies and tracking the changes of social adjustments chronologically. This study utilizes archaeological reports and manuscripts to synthesize the social archaeology in Jordan from the Natufian period to the Persian. The study shows a prominent variability in burial practices over the various archaeological periods that were triggered by culture change, where the latter was imposed by the intertwined socio-political and environmental factors. The simplicity or complexity in burial practices followed those of the society itself, where burial types and practices started as simple during the Natufian period and gradually intensified and complicated in the latter periods.

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Section: The Neolithic Burial Practices (8500-4300 Bc)mentioning

confidence: 85%

Burial Practices in Jordan From the Natufians to the Persians

Al-Shorman¹,

Khwaileh²

2011

Estonian J. Archaeol.

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“…Such examples have been reported from several sites such as Tel Ramad (Ferembach, 1969;Ferembach and Lechevalier, 1973) and Tel Aswad (Stordeur, 2003) in Syria; Jericho (Strouhal, 1973;Rollefson, 1985), Nahal Hemar (Yakar and Hershkovitz, 1988;Arensburg and Hershkovitz, 1988), Kfar Hahoresh (Goren et al, 2001;Simmons et al, 2007), Beisamoun in Israel; and Ain Ghazal (Butler, 1989;Simmons et al, 1990) in Jordan. Recent similar discoveries during the excavations in Çatal Höyük (Hodder, 2005) and Kös¸k Höyük (Ö ztan, 2002;Bonogofsky, 2004;Ö zbek, 2005a) allow us to infer that skull plastering extended beyond the Levant, well into Anatolia during the Pottery Neolithic period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Remodeled human skulls in Köşk Höyük (Neolithic age, Anatolia): a new appraisal in view of recent discoveries

Özbek

2009

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…(Cauvin 1972, 44, fig. 9) Bar-Yosef & Alon 1988) generally accepted (Cauvin 1972;de Contenson 1971;Bar-Yosef & Alon 1988,28;Arensburg & Hershkovitz 1988;Simmons et al 1990;Bienert 1991,20). An alternate approach suggests that the skulls could be connected with fertility cults (Wright 1988, 55).…”

Section: 'Ain Ghazal Beisamoun Kfar Hahoresh Tell Ramad and Jerichmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Plastered skulls were first found at Jericho (Kenyon 1957,60-64;Strouhal 1973;Kurth & Rohrer-Ertl 1981, 436-8), and later at Tell Ramad (de Contenson & Van Liere 1966;de Contenson 1967), Beisamoun (Ferembach & Lechevallier 1973;Lechevallier 1978,131-5), the Nahal Hemar Cave (Arensburg & Hershkovitz 1988;Yakar & Hershkovitz 1988), 'Ain Ghazal (Simmons et al 1990) and Kfar Hahoresh (Goring-Morris 1991, 83). Besides these PPNB plastered skulls from the central and southern Levant, a similar skull was recently reported from K6 §k Hoyiik in Turkey, dated to the sixth millennium BC (Silistreli 1989b;Yakar 1991,190-91).…”

Section: 'Ain Ghazal Beisamoun Kfar Hahoresh Tell Ramad and Jerichmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ritual Burial of Cultic Objects: The Earliest Evidence

Garfınkel

1994

CAJ

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This article deals with the ritual burial of cultic objects in the Near East during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. These items are not grave goods associated with human burials but objects buried on their own because of their ritual significance. A systematic survey of the depositional context of anthropomorphic statues, plastered skulls and other cultic objects from a large number of sites indicates clearly that the earliest evidence for this concept can be traced to the early agricultural communities of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period of the seventh millennium bc. The custom was a ritual institution for the disposal of worn-out and unwanted cultic items. A further analysis of twelve other symbols and artistic components emphasizes the importance of the seventh millennium bc as a formative era for the cult and mythology of the ancient Near East.

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Field Report: A Plastered Human Skull from Neolithic 'Ain Ghazal, Jordan

Cited by 8 publications

References 5 publications

Burial Practices in Jordan From the Natufians to the Persians

Burial Practices in Jordan From the Natufians to the Persians

Remodeled human skulls in Köşk Höyük (Neolithic age, Anatolia): a new appraisal in view of recent discoveries

Ritual Burial of Cultic Objects: The Earliest Evidence

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