How 9,000-year-old plaster statues survived excavation and a journey to the Smithsonian
In short: Unearthed during road construction in Jordan, these rare Neolithic statues required a complex, seven-year conservation effort. This video documents the meticulous process of preserving these fragile artifacts, which include both standing figures and mysterious two-headed busts, before their eventual return to the Jordanian Archaeological Museum.
Discovered in 1985 near Amman, the statues date back to approximately 6500 B.C. Due to the extreme fragility of their lime plaster composition, researchers encased the entire pit in aluminum foil, polyurethane foam, and a wooden crate to safely transport them to the Smithsonian Institution. The collection features two standing figures, each about 1 meter tall, alongside three unique two-headed busts.
The conservation process spanned seven years, during which Smithsonian staff conducted laboratory excavations. The video footage was captured across five separate sessions between 1990 and 1996. Following their restoration, the statues were exhibited at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery from 1996 to 1997 before being repatriated to the Jordanian Archaeological Museum on the Citadel in Amman.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Five Statues from Ain Ghazal, Jordan
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