Ayn Ghazal statues

statues The figures are of two types: full statues and busts. Some of the busts are two-headed. Great effort was put into modelling the heads, with wide-open eyes and bitumen-outlined irises. The statues represent men, women and children; women are recognizable by features resembling breasts and slightly enlarged bellies, but neither male nor female sexual characteristics are emphasized, and none of the statues have genitals; the only part of the statues fashioned with any amount of detail is the face. The way the statues were made would not have permitted them to last long, and since they were buried in pristine condition it is possible that they were never on display for any extended period of time, but rather produced for the purpose of intentional burial. ==Discovery and conservation==

The site of ʿAin Ghazal was discovered in 1974 by developers who were building a highway connecting Amman to Zarqa. Excavation began in 1982. The site was inhabited during . In its prime era, during the first half of the 7th millennium BC, the settlement extended over 10–15 hectares (25–37 ac) and was inhabited by c. 3,000 people. A total of 15 statues and 15 busts were found in two caches, which were separated by nearly 200 years. Because they were carefully deposited in pits dug into the floors of abandoned houses, they are remarkably well preserved. Remains of similar statues found at Jericho and Nahal Hemar have survived only in fragmentary state. The pit where the statues were found was carefully dug around, and the contents were placed in a wooden box filled with polyurethane foam for protection during shipping. The statues are made of plaster, which is fragile especially after being buried for so long. The first set of statues discovered at the site was sent to the Royal Archaeological Institute in Great Britain, while the second set, found a few years later, was sent to the Smithsonian Institution in New York for restoration work. The statues were returned to Jordan after their conservation and can be seen in the Jordan Museum. Part of the find is on loan in the British Museum. One statue is on loan at the Louvre Museum in Paris, and one of the figures with two heads is on show at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. File:Ain Ghazal statue frontal.jpg|Louvre ʿAin Ghazal statue, frontal File:Ain Ghazal statue left profile.jpg|Louvre ʿAin Ghazal statue left profile File:Ain Ghazal statue right profile.jpg|Louvre ʿAin Ghazal statue right profile File:Micah, Ain Ghazal Statue, the British Museum.jpg|Micah, ʿAin Ghazal Statue, the British Museum File:Noah, Ain Ghazal Statue, the British Museum.jpg|Noah, ʿAin Ghazal Statue, the British Museum File:Head, human statue from Aig Ghazal, Amman, the Jordan Museum.jpg|Head, human statue from ʿAin Ghazal, Amman, the Jordan Museum File:Double-headed statue from Ain Ghazal, Amman, Jordan Archaeological Museum.jpg|Double-headed statue from ʿAin Ghazal, Amman, Jordan Archaeological Museum File:Statue, human, from Ain Ghazal city, Amman, Jordan Archaeological Museum.jpg|Statue, human, from ʿAin Ghazal city, Amman, Jordan Archaeological Museum File:Two-headed statue from Ain Ghazal, Jordan Museum, Amman.jpg|Two-headed statue from ʿAin Ghazal, Jordan Museum, Amman File:Head of a two-headed statue from Ain Ghazal, Jordan Museum, Amman.jpg|Closeup of the two-headed statue from 'Ain Ghazal, Jordan Museum, Amman File:Human statue from Ain Ghazal, Amman city, Jordan Museum.jpg|Human statue from ʿAin Ghazal, Amman city, Jordan Museum File:Human statue from Ain Ghazal, Jordan Museum, Amman.jpg|Human statue from ʿAin Ghazal, Jordan Museum, Amman ==See also==