Kingdom of Sheba Limestone Funerary stele with inscription. 34 cm H. 2nd - 1st Century BC

Funerary stele

CULTURE: Kingdom of Sheba (Yemen)

PERIOD: 2nd - 1st Century BC

MATERIAL: Limestone with pigments

SIZE: Height 34 cm, width 20 cm, thickness 9 cm.

PROVENANCE: Private collection, A. R. , London, 1970.

CONDITION: Good.

DESCRIPTION

This is a typical stele from the necropolis of the ancient kingdom of Sheba (or Saba) , which was located in what is present-day Yemen. It is rectangular in form, with the face sculpted in the upper section in prominent relief in a very schematic manner. The eyebrows are joined, the nose elongated and triangular, while the eyes are rhomboid in shape with marked irises. The mouth is small with thick lips and the chin is rectangular. The ears are also clearly worked towards the sides of the stele.

The face is an idealized one representing the deceased. It has not been sculpted with the intention of depicting the real features of the dead but rather a human face. At times the sex of the person cannot be distinguished. Below the face the name of the deceased is written in Sabaean script.

The kingdom of Sheba was a rich one, thanks in great part to the famous “Queen of Sheba” named Makeda. The extension of this kingdom is unknown, although there are hypotheses that indicate that it was in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, in what is present-day Yemen. Others suggest that it was in the Horn of Africa and still others point to its extension over both zones.

The palace of the Queen of Sheba (also known by the name of Mahram Bilqus) is in the ancient Arabian Peninsula, in present-day Yemen. This city, built between the 2nd and 1st Century B. C. , is believed to be the capital of the kingdom. Erected in a strategic position, Sheba flourished through the trading of merchandise both with Africa and Asia. It had a society based on matriarchy, with political power passing through the female line to royal descendants. Most probably the population represented a mixture of Ethiopian and Arabic peoples.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

- AA. VV. Queen of Sheba. Treasures from Ancient Yemen. The British Museum Press. 2002.
- Repertorio Iconográfico Sudarabico. La Statuaria Sudarabica in pietra. Académie des Inscriptions et Belles – Lettres (Paris) y Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente (Roma) .

Notes:

- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) . NOT TAXES.
- According to Spanish legislation, items sent outside the European Union are subject to export taxes and will be added to the invoice, at the buyer's expense. These export fees are fixed on the final auction price and the tax rate is not applied directly on the total value of the item to be exported, but rather the different percentages by sections are applied to it:
- Up to 6,000 euros: 5%.
- From 6. 001 to 60. 000 euros: 10%.
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- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.