On view
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Funerary slab with male bust in high relief,
ca. 200–250 CE
Roman
Roman Imperial Period, ca. 30 BCE–476 CE
y1946-109
“Yedi‘bel, son of Mezabbana (son of) Barôqa. Alas!” So reads the Aramaic inscription that accompanies the funerary slab of Yedi‘bel, identifying his family and lamenting his passing. Yedi‘bel is shown in front of a cloth held up by two rosette headed nails. The backdrop informs the viewer that Yedi‘bel has died, a convention found in other funerary monuments from Palmyra, a cosmopolitan city located at the crossroads of important trade routes in ancient Roman Syria. His face is similar to funerary images of other young Palmyrene men, with wide eyes, a round, beardless face, and orderly rows of snail-shaped curls. Rather than unique facial features or a specific setting, it is the inscription that identifies him.
Information
Title
Funerary slab with male bust in high relief
Dates
ca. 200–250 CE
Medium
Hard white local limestone
Dimensions
48.5 x 41.4 x 21.3 cm (19 1/8 x 16 5/16 x 8 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. W. Lester Glenney and her sister, Mrs. Field
Object Number
y1946-109
Place Made
Roman Empire
Place Excavated
Asia, Syria, Palymra
Inscription
Inscription on background at proper left of head (translated by H. Ingholt): Yedf’bel, son of Mezabenna [son of ] Baroqa. Alas. [See accession card handwritten notes for further detail].
From accession card.
Culture
Period
Materials
Techniques
Given to the Museum in 1946 by Mrs. W. Lester Glenney and her sister, Mrs. Field
- Corpus inscriptionum Semiticarum ab academia inscriptionum et litterarum humaniorum conditum atque digestum, (Paris: E. Reipublicae Typographeo, 1881-). , Pars 2, tomus 3, fasciculus 2: no. 4312; pl. LIII
- "Recent accessions", Record of the Museum of Historic Art, Princeton University 6, no. 1/2 (1947): p. 7., p. 7
- J. Michael Padgett, ed., Roman sculpture in The Art Museum, Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: Art Museum, Princeton University, 2001)., cat. no. 109
