Conclusions

Our work on the Palmyrene portraits - setting them into conversation with objects used and produced in the city (and other sites nearby) - enhances our understanding of them in several ways.  

1) All of the items depicted in portratis correlate to real objects, known and used in the city.  They are not fanciful, but reflect the "objectscape" with which artists, consumers, and viewers were familiar. 

2) The objects included in the portraits emphasized important aspects of the identity of the subjects, as they construed it themselves. Jewelry and textiles conveyed status and possibly related to personal experience (as in the case of women holding spindles and other textile-working tools); ceramics indicated ritual action, and also hinted at the precious value of their contents, whether oil, wine, or perfume.

3) Though the depictions of objects within the portraits suggested that the people of Palmyra lived surrounded by luxury, the local "objectscapes" reveal a more complex picture. People used a wide range of material goods, including coursewares - many of which were produced locally.  Even for elite status symbols, like jewelry, consumers had access to options ranging in quality and price - including those that replicated the look of opulent personal adornments, in relatively ordinary materials.