14833
Accession Number
29890
Author
Grissom, Carol A.
Title Of Article Chaper
neolithic Statues from Ain Ghazal: Construction and Form
Title Of Journal Book
American Journal of Archaeology
Volume
104
Issue
1
Pages
25-45
Collation
21 p. : ills.
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliographic references
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Reassembly of five large plaster statues from the seventh millennium B.C. following their excavation in 1985 at Ain Ghazal, Jordan, provided an opportunity to examine evidence of their construction. For the most part, the statues had lain horizontally during fabrication, and they were made in stages by applying plaster to reed bundles bound with cordage. Full-scale replication of a bust and a figure provided additional information about construction. Plaster probably had to be applied while armatures were horizontal because of the statues' large size; broad, flat and simple forms were made as a consequence. In order to fashion the complex standing figures, legs were modeled separately and joined to the rest of the statues with plaster. Statues may have been accessorized with wigs, clothing, or other materials to simulate human appearance.
Keywords
statue; neolithic; construction; form; ain ghazal
pub_id
14833