Funerary relief

myminifactory

This monument is a type of funerary marker that was characteristic of the thriving caravan city of Palmyra during the first three centuries AD. Reliefs featuring a representation of the deceased and a short identifying inscription were used to seal burial niches in elaborately decorated communal tombs; those with a half-length or bust format became popular sometime after 65 AD. The relief shows the upper body of a woman dressed in a draped garment, pinned at the left shoulder with an elaborate brooch. She faces directly towards the viewer and is wearing her hair covered by a turban-like headdress made up of a wrapped cloth with a twisted border over a diadem that covers her forehead. Long, wavy locks of hair fall behind her ears to her shoulders. Tiny plain rings cover the outer rims of her ears. She wears a long veil over her head which covers both arms, leaving only the hands exposed. The left hand holds a spindle and distaff, tools for spinning wool into yarn, associated with women's domestic work. Her right hand is held raised with the palm facing out, a gesture that may have been protective and is frequently seen on women's funerary portraits from Palmyra. Her expression is serene, and her gaze does not meet the viewer's but looks far into the distance. The iris and pupil of the eye are marked by incised concentric circles, and the eyebrows are indicated by modeled ridges. Her small mouth is framed by delicately modeled cheeks and chin, with the horizontal lines across the throat adding to the impression of fleshy softness. The monument can be stylistically dated to about 50-150 AD because of the hairstyle, and the patterned folds of the garment. An inscription which appears over her right shoulder, difficult to decipher, may have been added later.