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By the 2nd century CE, many formerly independently governed client kingdoms had been organized by the Romans into a single entity formally called the province of Syria-Palestina. One of the largest cities in the region was located in a naturally occurring oasis. Known as Tadmor before Roman annexation, the city was re-named Palmyra in the 1st century CE and became an important hub of overland trade, connecting the Mediterranean with the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Goods moved by caravan and on camels to the city - and then to points beyond, both east and west. These materials included prestige goods, including Chinese silk (both as finished textiles and as yarn), marbles from Greek quarries, fine Roman glassware, gems and precious metals, and even Indian cottons. The region produced goods, too, including ceramics of both luxurious and everday quality.
In this exhibit, we look at the depictions of objects within these funerary portraits: exploring how they reflect the "objectscapes" of local life.
A distinct visual vocabulary developed in and around Roman-period Palmyra, bringing together elements drawn from Greek, Roman, and Parthian visual traditions for representation of people.
This local style presented subjects in frontal view, opulently dressed and sometimes depicted in contexts that suggest something of funerary ritual – as if a table, reclining with members of their close family or with their servants.
Click the links below to learn about the portraits and the objects depicted therein!
All images in this exhibit are reproduced for informational and educational use only, and comply with the open access policies of the museums that hold their copyrights. Any reproduction without permission of the original rights-holder is prohibited. You can find a full list of our image credits here.
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