South Arabia, modern day Yemen, ca. 1st millennium BCE. A striking carved stele made of almost translucent alabaster with a low-relief human figure holding what appears to be two children in its arms placed at its center and a worn inscription in the ancient Yemeni alphabet (also known as Old South Arabian), probably in the language of the Kingdom of Qataban, across its top. Twin blank panels frame the figure beneath the inscription. Size: 3.95" L x 5.5" W x 1.4" H (10 cm x 14 cm x 3.6 cm)

The deceased in this part of the world were often represented by anthropomorphic funerary stelæ like this one; it is unclear if this example is a portrait of a known individual or not. Stelae like this one have been found in three areas, one of which was the cemetery at Tamna, the capital city of Qataban. The Kingdom of Qataban rose to prominence in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE because it controlled the trade in frankincense and myrrh, incenses required to be burned at altars during religious rituals further north and west. A haunting and beautiful alabaster object, certain to spark conversation, and a reminder of the deeper history of this understudied region.

Provenance: Ex-Smith Collection, New York, NY

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#119266

Losses to edges and wear and pitting to surface.