9,000 years ago, people in the Levant covered skulls with plaster to remember their dead

A 9,000-year-old skull with a plaster face, unearthed in Israel, reveals ancient farming communities meticulously preserved their dead. This practice, seen across the Levant, involved reconstructing faces to maintain connections with ancestors and foster social cohesion during significant societal shifts. These rituals highlight early reliance on physical objects for memory.