The Discovery of Jericho's Plastered Skulls

• 💡 In the 1950s, during the final week of excavations in Jericho, Kathleen Kenyon's team discovered a cache of seven human skulls coated in plaster.
• 📌 These artifacts date back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) period, approximately 8,500 to 6,500 BCE, a time of early agriculture and settled communities.
• ⛏️ The skulls, with jawbones often missing and faces remodeled, were found packed with earth and covered in plaster, representing some of the earliest known forms of portraiture in the ancient Near East.

Crafting the Plastered Skulls

• 🦴 The process involved using actual human skulls, sometimes with the mandible intact, other times with it removed or replaced.
• 🧱 Skulls were packed with dirt or other materials for support, then coated with layers of lime plaster to reconstruct facial features.
• 🎨 Details like eyes were often created using shells or stone, and some skulls show evidence of painted decorations like stripes or red colors, though pigments degrade over time.
• 👂 Some skulls even feature sculpted ears and carefully defined hairlines, indicating a sophisticated understanding of anatomy and artistry.

The Meaning and Theories Behind the Skulls

• 👥 The leading theory suggests these skulls were part of an ancestor cult, where the dead were curated and venerated, possibly to unify early farming communities.
• ❓ Other theories propose they served as trophies from headhunting, a way to keep loved ones close during times of grief (continuing bonds), or as apotropaic objects to consecrate sacred spaces.
• 🧐 The presence of both male and female skulls, as well as juveniles, suggests a broader purpose than initially assumed, possibly varying by sex, age, or context.

Distribution and Evolution of the Practice

• 🌍 Plastered skulls have been found across the Levant, including sites like Angazal (Jordan), Tel Ramad and Tel Asuad (Syria), and even further north in Turkey at Çatalhöyük.
• 🏘️ The practice varied in context: some were buried, others found in houses, cemeteries, or ritual spaces, suggesting diverse meanings and uses.
• 🎨 The artistry evolved, with some skulls featuring unique details like vertical pupils (theorized to be animalistic or symbolic) or horizontal lines, and later developments seen in the more abstract sculptures from sites like Angazal.

The Eyes: A Window into Symbolism

• 👁️ The eyes are a particularly fascinating aspect, with many skulls featuring shell or stone inlays.
• 🐍 Some eyes have vertical pupils, which Raven Todd Da Silva theorizes might represent an animalistic or predatory connection, possibly reflecting a shift from communal ritual spaces to more insular domestic ones.
• 🐑 Other skulls, like one from Bisamoon, have horizontal lines in the eyes, interpreted as potentially representing a sleeping state or even the pupils of domesticated animals like sheep.