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Ain Ghazal -- a major Neolithic Settlement in Jordan

Ain Ghazal is a Pre-pottery Neolithic archaeological site located in metropolitan Amman, Jordan. Dating to between the mid-7th millennium BC and the mid-8th millennium BC
Ain Ghazal is a Pre-pottery Neolithic archaeological site located in metropolitan Amman, Jordan. Dating to between the mid-7th millennium BC and the mid-8th millennium BC

Photo feature by Mahmoud Bushehri

AMMAN, Jan 18 (KUNA) -- Ain Ghazal is a Pre-pottery Neolithic archaeological site located in metropolitan Amman, Jordan.
Dating to between the mid-7th millennium BC and the mid-8th millennium BC, the statues are among the earliest large-scale representations of the human form, and are regarded to be one of the most remarkable specimens of pre-historic art from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period.
The statues were formed by modelling moist plaster from limestone on a reed core using plants that grew along the banks of the Zarqa River. The reed decayed over the millennia, leaving plaster shells with a hollow interior. Lime plaster is formed by heating limestone to temperatures between 600 and 900 degrees Celsius; the product, hydrated lime is then combined with water to make a dough, which was then modelled.
These statues, created over eight millennia ago, have survived until today as examples of human ingenuity, spirituality, and technology. (end) mjb.haq