The statues, along with two ancient temples dating back more than 8000 years, were discovered in 1983 during excavations in the Neolithic settlement of Ain Ghasal, in the vicinity of the modern capital of Jordan, Amman.
It is believed that Ain Ghasal is a large village of farmers, herders and hunters, founded around 7250 BC.
Archaeologists have discovered multi-room stone houses with wooden beams supporting the roofs. They also unearthed cooking pockets with food debris, stone tools, pottery, figurines, and human burials.
Ain Ghasal was one of the largest settlements in the Middle East during the Early Neolithic.
The inhabitants of Ain Ghasala hid some of the bodies of the dead under the floors of their houses, and others in the vicinity. Moreover, among those buried inside, the head was often taken out, and the skull was buried in a separate recess under the house. In addition, many human remains were found in a garbage pit where household waste was disposed of. Why only a small, selected part was properly buried, and most simply destroyed, is unknown.
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In 1984, archaeologists examined a bulldozer cut made several years earlier during the construction of a highway and found fragments of plaster statues.
More than 30 human figurines have been found in the prehistoric village of Ain Ghasal. The mysterious, almost life-size sculptures have a strange appearance - they have no hands and the typical signs of gender.
All statues are made of clay containing limestone powder mixed with plaster. They are among the oldest monumental artifacts ever found. Their sizes vary from small, from one meter in height, to full-length figures.
The statues have large elliptical eyes that are unique in shape, and small ears indicate that they are images of an unknown ancient race of prehistoric Jordan.
Many parts of the ancient artifacts are badly damaged, and it was difficult to reassemble the statues. After identifying the connecting fragments, the scientists used a special type of glue for and restored the sculptures. A total of 32 plaster figures, 15 complete, 15 busts and 2 head fragments were found. Three busts were double-headed.
After months of meticulous work, all of the statues were difficult to assemble completely. Craftsmen filled in the gaps with acrylic resin, micro-glass beads and cellulose powder. They have tinted new areas with watercolors to help viewers distinguish them from ancient fragments.
Nothing really is known about the mysterious statues from Jordan, as well as about the mysterious authors of the Neolithic era.