'Ain Ghazal is a neolithic site located in North-Eastern Jordan, on the outskirts of Amman. It dates as far back as 7250 BC, and was inhabited until 5000 BC. At 15 hectares, 'Ain Ghazal ranks as one of the largest known prehistoric settlements in the Near East.

Archaeological History

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'Ain Ghazal was rediscovered in the 1974 by developers who were building a road through the area. Excavation began in 1982, however by this time, around 600 meters of road ran through the site. Despite the damage urban expansion brought, what remained of 'Ain Ghazal provided a wealth of information and continued to do so until 1989. One of the more notable archaeological finds during these first excavations came to light in 1983. While examining a cross section of earth in a path carved out by a bulldozer, archaeologists came across the edge of a large pit 2.5 meters under the surface containing plaster statues.

Another set of excavations, under the direction of Gary O. Rollefson took place in the early 1990's.

Jordan