Blog Post #3 Neolithic Plaster Skulls

Plastered skulls from Gobekli Tepe and Jericho, one of the six archaeological sites in the Levant, have been interpreted as memorials to honor the deceased during the Neolithic era. Over sixty plaster skulls have been discovered in each of the six sites, dated from 8,000-6,000 BCE. Experts believe there is a religious belief that the skulls were decorated to commemorate the lives of their relatives after their death. Seven skulls were dug up in Jericho, one of the oldest and largest inhabited cities while three skulls were recovered at Gobekli Tepe.

The skull fragments at Gobekli Tepe were recovered from the fill deposits of buildings since there are no human burials at the site. Since archaeologists found fragments of three skulls, it is difficult to determine the sex of the individuals. The skulls are most likely connected to adults believed to be between the ages of 20 and 50 years.

There are deep carvings on one of the skull pieces while another piece seems to have small holes drilled into it. Lithic tools were used to carve the skulls.

The skulls at Jericho were covered with plaster and decorated with paint and seashells. Most of the skulls found at the site may have belonged to men as well as skulls belonging to women and children. They used plaster to create life-like faces of their relatives after removing the flesh and used black and red paint to add facial characteristics to the skull. The skulls were found underneath the floor of the homes in the Neolithic town.

I believe the plastered skulls were decorated as portraits to honor the deceased. The skulls were made to honor the ancestors with the belief that life continues after death. This could mean the people in the community during the Neolithic era made these skulls to celebrate the life and death of their deceased loved ones. Belief systems were developed to avoid social tension within the community and performed mortuary rituals as a way to worship their ancestors and create unity. After a member of the family has died from an illness or another cause of death, other family members use plaster to carve facial features molded onto the skull they remove to resemble their loved one they lost. Decorating these skulls was a way to honor their ancestors with the hope of meeting them again in the afterlife. The skulls are powerful images to pay homage to the loved ones they lost with a belief that life continues after death. 

Sources:

https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/plastered-skulls-jericho-001232 

https://smarthistory.org/jericho/ 

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/6/e1700564 

https://strangeremains.com/2013/12/30/ancient-funerary-facial-reconstruction-plastered-skulls-of-the-neolithic-in-the-ancient-near-east/ 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303340565_From_person_to_ancestor_the_plastered_skull_from_Jericho