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Palmyrene Head
Roman Syria, ca. 150-200
Carved and polished limestone. Height: 11 3/4 in. (30 cm)
Harold L. Bache, Class of 1916, Memorial Endowment Fund. 72.21
An oasis in the Syrian desert, Palmyra was a main stop along the caravan
route that brought luxurious merchandise from the Orient to the Roman world.
Palmyra was annexed to Roman Syria and its citizens were granted independence
in many matters. However, in 273 Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, challenged Rome
for control over the eastern part of the Roman Empire, and Palmyra was destroyed
by Roman troops.
Palmyrene citizens placed sculpted figures in family tombs located outside
the city. This sculpture is striking both as portraiture and as decoration,
reflecting the mixture of Roman and Near Eastern heritages of the city.
The head, factual and stern, is typically Roman, but the large almond-shaped
eyes with heavy lids and the abbreviated eyebrows reflect the abstracting
tendencies of Near Eastern art. This portrait would have been placed on
the outside of a compartment, called a cubiculum, holding the remains of
the person portrayed; four or five cubicula were usually arranged in a row,
one above the other, inside a large tomb.
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