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The portraiture from Palmyra is distinct relative to contemporary Roman portraiture, blending eastern and western elements due to the city’s location on the periphery of the Roman empire. These sculptures were busts depicting the head and upper torso, carved in relief in local limestone, serving as slabs that covered burial places, often referred to as a loculus (plural, loculi). These were individual burials within large monuments that served a family or group. The burials were inhumations, and in some cases the bodies were mummified, although using a process different than what we know of from contemporary Roman Egypt. The closest parallesl to these artworks from Roman Italy are freedmen reliefs, which may have served as inspiration for Palmyra’s portraits. Or, distinctly local Palmyrene type may have developed independently, but suggests a similar prioritization of depicting the deceased in a way that showcases their cultural identity and social status. Most people commemorated in this way were wealthy.
The clothing that the sculptures show is a mix of local, Roman, and Parthian styles. Men frequently were depicted in Greco-Roman style clothing, wearing a tunic and cloak, while women were often dressed in eastern styles. Women wore a turban and veil in addition to their tunic and cloak, and often also had elaborate jewelry including diadems, earrings, and bracelets. Some early sculptures of women are depicted holding a spindle and distaff - objects that relate to Roman constructions of idealized gendered behavior.
The style of the funerary sculpture from Palmyra differs from that found in Roman Italy – though, we stress that many such Palmyrene portraits also take different forms, including elements such as ritual action or including representations of family figures in the background (less usual in freedmen reliefs from Italy). Unlike the focus on realistic and individualized features that was prominent in contemporary Roman sculpture from Italy, the sculpture from Palmyra is more stylized and generic. Sculptors did not attempt to replicate the facial features of individual customers, but instead the deceased was identified by the inscription accompanying the sculpture. Like Roman statues from Italy, the funerary portraits from Palmyra were painted in polychrome, although very little of the paint survives.
Even though they are not veristic portraits, these funerary sculptures still represented the identity of the deceased, just not through individualized facial features. In addition to different styles of clothes and amounts of jewelry, the busts often were sculpted with the individual’s arms displaying different gestures. Dress, gesture, and adornment were all ways of signifying one’s status, gender, and family connections.
The funerary portraits from Palmyra offer a look into the values and identities of individuals living on the edges of the Roman empire. In examining other artifacts from the site and nearby areas, we can compare the representations of the deceased to their actual lived experiences, considering how much of the funerary portraiture is idealized vs. how much it actually reflects reality.
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