The Ancients The Skulls of Jericho
30 snips
Feb 15, 2026 Raven Todd De Silva, an archaeologist and art conservator focused on Neolithic mortuary art, explores the plastered skulls from ancient Jericho and the Levant. She describes how the skulls were made and where they were found. The conversation covers regional variations, possible meanings like ancestor veneration or ritual uses, and links to broader Neolithic portraiture and identity.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Neolithic Origin And Spread
- Plastered skulls date to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B around 8,500–6,500 BCE across the Levant and Anatolia.
- They emerge as communities settle, reflecting social and ritual changes at the dawn of farming.
Kenyon's Last-Week Discovery
- Kathleen Kenyon found seven plastered skulls in 1953 during the last week of excavation at Jericho.
- The team excavated them from a trench wall and later figured out a total of ten skulls came from the site.
How The Skulls Were Made
- The skulls retain real bone beneath modeled facial plaster; mandibles often missing and plaster mainly covers lower face.
- Techniques vary: some skulls were stuffed with dirt, layered with reed bases, and had detachable plaster faces.