Funerary Relief (ca. 148 CE)

Title

Description

From the Met: "This relief is a type of funerary monument characteristic of the prosperous caravan city of Palmyra during the first three centuries AD. Reliefs depicting the deceased and a short identifying inscription sealed burial niches in elaborately decorated communal tombs; half-length or bust formats became prevalent after A.D. 65.

The relief depicts the upper body of a woman in a draped garment, facing directly toward the viewer. A turban-like headdress covers her hair, worn over a diadem that covers her forehead. Curls at the temples gather over the diadem and under the headdress, while long, wavy locks fall to either side of her neck, reaching her shoulders. She wears a long veil over her head, covering the left arm and leaving only the hand exposed. The right forearm is bare, and the hand draws a looped fold of the veil over the chest from the left side. Her expression is serene, and her gaze does not meet the viewer’s but looks far into the distance. The iris and pupil are marked with incised concentric circles, and the eyebrows are indicated by modeled ridges. Softly modeled cheeks frame her small, thin-lipped mouth.

An inscription in Palmyrene Aramaic, visible over both shoulders, gives her name and her husband’s name, and records her date of death. The months of the Palmyrene calendar were based on the earlier Babylonian calendar, while the years were reckoned according to the Seleucid era, which began in 312 B.C."

Language

An inscription in Palmyrene Aramaic:
(at right)
Alas! Tadmur, wife of
Mokimu, son of Nurbel, the craftsman. Died the 29th day.

(at left)
of Siwan, in the year 459.

Physical Dimensions

20 3/8 in. × 17 3/8 in. × 9 in. (51.8 × 44.1 × 22.9 cm)

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Identifier

02.29.3

Women of Palmyra in American Museums

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