Jericho Skull

The Jericho Skull is a plastered human skull dating back to the Neolithic period, roughly around 8000 to 6000 BC. It represents one of the earliest known forms of portrait art ever discovered in human history.

The artifact was found at the archaeological site of Tell es-Sultan, located in the West Bank near the modern city of Jericho. It was unearthed by the British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon during her excavations in the 1950s.

Archaeologists believe that plastering the skulls and painting them with features was an early form of ancestor worship. This ritual allowed early agricultural societies to maintain a physical and spiritual connection with their dead.

Yes, the artifact is an actual human cranium that was deliberately detached from the skeleton after death. Only the skull was kept, reshaped with plaster, and decorated with shells for eyes.