The Spiritual Life of Teleilat Ghassul and Building 78

Abstract

This article explores the spiritual life of the community at Chalcolithic Teleilat Ghassul through a reinterpretation of the frescoes within Building 78 on Tell 3. The building itself was likely used as a “lineage house” and a center of ritual activity, which is evidenced through the frescoes (the bird fresco and spook masks), numerous cornets, and 200–300 years of phasing. This article argues, through ethnographic and ecological evidence, that the bird fresco represents a moorhen, symbolizes spiritual liminality, and is tied to cyclical symbolism through the location of Teleilat Ghassul on a major migration route. Furthermore, the spook masks can be interpreted as hedgehogs that are also tied to a cyclical symbolism through their hibernation patterns. This reinterpretation may allow us to posit the types of rituals that occurred in Building 78, for example, harvest or coming-of-age rituals.