Ja 2815
Van Beek and Jamme 1976: 196, figs a-c
Image free from copyright
Image free from copyright
- Van Beek and Jamme 1976: 196, figs a-c
Image free from copyright - Van Beek and Jamme 1976: 198, fig. 2
Image free from copyright
SUPPORT INFORMATION
| Support type | Artefact » Sculpture in the round » Human figure | ||||||||||
| Material | Bronze | ||||||||||
| Measures | h. 10.8, w. 4.8 (across the outstretched hands) | ||||||||||
| Decoration |
| ||||||||||
| Notes on support and decorations | "The figure represented is that of a woman wearing a long tubular shaped dress which reaches just below the mid-point on the calves. A seven-line inscription is engraved on the front of the dress. Her arms are extended from the elbows either in a gesture of supplication or more probably in the presentation of an offering. Originally she may have held a tray or shallow bowl in her hands, in view of the fact that the left fingers are horizontal and slightly cupped, while the fingers of the right hand are vertical; both the left and right thumbs are separated from the fingers as if the rim of the vessel might have been secured between them. The legs and feet are not well modeled, and the latter is lacking in such detail as toes and sandals. The slight projections on the bottom of the feet may have served as tenons or dowels for attaching the figure to a base. Her erect head rests on a thick neck. The features of the face are not realistically modeled. The prominent brow ridge continues the line of a rather straight, flaring nose. The eyes are proportionately large, and are simply round flat discs. The small closed mouth suggests a half smile. Her hair is rendered in a roll around the head hiding the ears and terminating in a long braid which hangs down the back to the level of her armpits " (Van Beek and Jamme 1976: 195). On the back and on top of the head there is a circular hole, 9 mm. in diameter and 11 mm. in depth, which was presumably made for the insertion of a dowel to attach the figure to a vertical surface, perhaps a plaque, the wall of a building, or a votive box. |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | al-Ukhdūd |
| Ancient site | Ẓrbn / Ngrn |
| Geographical area | Najrān |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Notes | The object is said by the owner to be from Najrān (Van Beek and Jamme 1976: 195). |
| Link to site record |
CULTURAL NOTES
"The modeling of the head of our figure is surely derived from Greek prototypes. The closest parallel is a small bronze statuette of a nude male from an unknown provenience in the collections of the Aden Museum. The style of the hair-but without a hanging braid-and the shape of the face together with the modeling of the nose, mouth, and eyes are quite similar to those features of our figurine, given the cruder, local modeling of the latter. The long braid and indeed the position of the arms must derive from Syro-Hittite styles of which there are numerous examples reaching back to the second half of the second millennium B.C. The style of dress terminating just below the midpoint of the calf reflects local traditions which, in turn, also must go back to Syro-Hittite. Thus, our statuette is a product of local craftsmanship, made for local votive purposes, and reflects the peculiar South Arabian syncretism of borrowed ideas and designs" (Van Beek and Jamme 1976:197).
EPIGRAPHS
| Title | Ja 2815 |
| Language | Ancient South Arabian » Sabaic » Undefined Sabaic |
| Link to epigraph record |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Van Beek and Jamme 1976: 195-197 | Van Beek, Gus W. and Jamme, Albert W.F. 1976. A hellenistic bronze figurine from South Arabia. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 35/3: 195-198. 2015/05/21; http://www.jstor.org/stable/544346. |