Ayn Ghazal Statues

This neolithic statue was found at the site of Ayn Ghazal outside Amman and dates from 7500 BC. It is one of the oldest surviving statues of its kind and size.

It is thought to be one of the oldest statues in the world. It stands 84cm high and is made of white plaster encasing a cane frame. It belongs to a group of cane and plaster statues found in Ayn Ghazal in 1983. Many of the Ayn Ghazal statues have painted clothes, tattoos and features – including cowrie shell eyes marked with black bitumen. Ayn Ghazal is a neolithic site in north-eastern Jordan outside Amman and was largely forgotten until road development work and subsequent excavations began in the 1970s and 80s.