Image Details

Photo courtesy of Gary O. Rollefson

During the Pre-Pottery Neolithic C period (6000–5500 B.C.), the Ain Ghazal community experienced severe strains, partly due to overcrowding and overworking of the land. Half the population became pastoral nomads, residing at Ain Ghazal only for part of the year. These social conditions are reflected in the buildings from this period, particularly the storage buildings (shown here, compare with photos of shrines) that probably housed the migrants’ belongings. The storage rooms, each 12 to 15 square feet, flanked a central corridor. Much like an English basement, these “corridor buildings” were partially subterranean.