Jul
28

July 28, 1996

The oldest sculptures ever found in the Near East go on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in the exhibition “Preserving Ancient Statues From Jordan.” The exhibition includes two humanlike figures and three double-headed busts from 6500 B.C., and three faces modeled on human skulls from 7000 B.C. The sculptures are nearly life-size and are made of lime plaster. They were found in 1974 near Amman, Jordan, and were transported to Washington, D.C., in 1985 where they were analyzed and reconstructed.

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Posted: 28 July 2010
About the Author:

Alex di Giovanni is primarily responsible for "other duties as assigned" in the Office of Communications and External Affairs. She has been with the Smithsonian since 2006 and plans to be interred in the Smithson crypt.