Jericho's Plastered Skulls: 9,000-Year-Old Faces Beneath the Floor

In 1953, archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon unearthed seven 9,000-year-old human skulls packed with clay and lime beneath an ancient plaster floor in Jericho. Who were these people, and why did early farmers rebuild the faces of their dead? This episode examines the Pre-Pottery Neolithic transformation in the Levant. From the cowrie-shell eyes of Jericho's plastered skulls to the massive reed-and-lime statues of 'Ain Ghazal, explore how the birth of agriculture led humanity to keep their ancestors close beneath their homes. Chapters: 0:00 Uncovering the Skulls of Jericho 0:59 The Birth of Land Ownership 2:02 Modeling the Dead at 'Ain Ghazal 3:01 The Sacrifice of the Forests 4:06 The First Territorians Research sources: British Museum — The Jericho Skull Ashmolean Museum — Kathleen Kenyon's Excavations at Jericho Smithsonian Institution — The 'Ain Ghazal Statues Louvre Museum — The 'Ain Ghazal Statue Collection Sources and image credits: Ain Ghazal Site.jpg — Bashar Tabbah (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Ain Ghazal Statue Jordan Archaeological Museum Amman Jordan0821.jpg — Michael Gunther (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Ain Ghazal statue frontal.jpg — ALFGRN (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons Ain Ghazal statue.jpg — ALFGRN (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons Alabaster pot with handles, Buqras region 6500 BCE Louvre Museum AO 28519.jpg — ALFGRN (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons Back surface. Plastered face modeled on a human skull. From Ain Ghazal, Jordan. Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, c. 6500 BCE. Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman.jpg — Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Calcite tripod vase, mid-Euphrates probably from Tell Buqras, 6000 BCE, Louvre Museum AO 31551.jpg — ALFGRN (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons Figurine from Fakhariyah (female), Tell Fakhariyah, Pre-pottery Neolithic B, 9000-7000 BC, gypsum with bitumen and stone inlays - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07633.JPG — Daderot (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons Figurine from Fakhariyah (male), Tell Fakhariyah, Pre-pottery Neolithic B, 9000-7000 BC, gypsum with bitumen and stone inlays - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07636.JPG — Daderot (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons Human skull from Beisamoun.JPG — Hanay (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons Jordan1601.jpg — Michael Gunther (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons Location map: drawn on NASA Blue Marble (public domain) Plastered Skull, c. 9000 BC (28346973577).jpg — Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons Plastered Skull, c. 9000 BC, Replica (28346978887).jpg — Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons Plastered face modeled on a human skull. From Ain Ghazal, Jordan. Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, c. 6500 BCE. Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman, Jordan.jpg — Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Pre-pottery neolithic people upper Mesopotamian, levantine, anatolian.jpg — Rowyn flowerdew (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons Side view. Double-headed human statue from Ain Ghazal city, Amman, Jordan. Pre-pottery Neolithic period B, c. 6500 BCE. Jordan Archaeological Museum, Amman.jpg — Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Stone figurine, a primitive representation of a human figure. From Nimrik village, now submerged, Mosul Dam, Iraq. 8000-5000 BCE. Iraq Museum.jpg — Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons a-bird-is-flying-through-the-tall-grass-27608011 — AP Vibes (Pexels License), via Pexels a-close-up-of-some-tall-grass-19120716 — Adem Albayrak (Pexels License), via Pexels a-dark-storm-cloud-is-seen-in-the-sky-17311357 — Vinay (Pexels License), via Pexels an-aerial-footage-of-rocky-mountains-7667753 — ArtHouse Studio (Pexels License), via Pexels barren-hills-around-canyon-10937543 — Tolga Aslantürk (Pexels License), via Pexels flock-of-sheep-grazing-on-mountain-top-8303294 — Polina ⠀ (Pexels License), via Pexels moody-sky-over-hill-13310119 — CESAR A RAMIREZ VALLEJO TRAPHITHO (Pexels License), via Pexels wadi-musa-16867575 — Abimelec Castillo (Pexels License), via Pexels Narration is AI-generated (text-to-speech). Previous episode: How Volcanic Glass Sparked History's First Trade Route    • How Volcanic Glass Sparked History's First...