Palmyrene
Relief of Aththaia
Near Eastern (Palmyrene)
replica: by artist Carrie Allen
gift of: the Nasser Family
date of the original: 150-200 AD (Roman Period)
provenance of the original: Palmyra (Tudmur), Syria; now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
description: Relief bust of a woman adorned with jewelry, touching her draperies with one hand. Inscription at right side. Plaster replica; limestone original. Height 53 cm, width 43 cm, depth 15 cm.
This funerary stele depicts a woman named Aththaia, dressed in a full tunic and long himation which covers her head. Beneath this she wears a headdress and diadem with a string of jewels. She has elaborate earrings, two necklaces, three bracelets, three rings, and a brooch with three pendants. Her attire shows strong eastern influences.
The inscription, in Greek, reads “Aththaia, daughter of Malchos, dear one, farewell.”
(See also: Relief of Maliku; Semitic Gods.)