Australia Returns Ancient Stone Sculpture Fragment to Jordan

Australian officials handed over a carved stone slab to Ayman Safadi, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Jordan, in Amman. Archaeology Magazine, News of Bahrain, and Gulf News all report that the repatriated artifact is a 14,000-year-old sculpture fragment. [1][2][3]

Archaeology Magazine reported that the stone fragment represents one of three pieces from a single prehistoric sculpture. The artifact was originally unearthed in northern Jordan at a site in Wadi Al Hammah during a joint excavation led by Australian and Jordanian archaeologists. [1]

One piece of the carved sculpture was transferred to the National Gallery of Australia in 1985. Archaeology Magazine added that the other two pieces of the ancient artwork were kept in Jordan, split between the Jordan Museum located in Amman and the Dar Al Saraya Museum in Irbid. [1]

The territory comprising modern Jordan has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has served as a center for ancient civilizations. Artwork and artifacts from prehistoric artists mark the early beginnings of artistic traditions that span across millennia. [4][6]