This 3-foot-tall sandstone stela, discovered near the desert town of Ha’il in northern Saudi Arabia and dating to the fourth millennium B.C.E., depicts the stylized features of a man, possibly a warrior. The outlines of the figure’s head, shoulders and body have been reduced to simple blockish but artistic forms. Carved in relief, the man’s eyes, nose and the curving outline of his face and chin are carefully defined. Below is the collar of his garment, and across his chest are two straps leading down to a belt. Tucked neatly inside the belt is a weapon, possibly a split-blade dagger.
Most scholars believe that such anthropomorphic standing stones, found widely across Arabia and the deserts of the southern Levant, were thought to contain the spirits of deceased ancestors and were thus set up as memorials where families could worship and perform rituals. Elements of such practices may have eventually evolved into the idea that the stones represented the abodes of gods, reflected in the Bible’s many references to the worship of masseboth, or standing stones.
This stela will be on display as part of the Roads of Arabia exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, from December 22, 2013, to March 9, 2014.
This 3-foot-tall sandstone stela, discovered near the desert town of Ha’il in northern Saudi Arabia and dating to the fourth millennium B.C.E., depicts the stylized features of a man, possibly a warrior. The outlines of the figure’s head, shoulders and body have been reduced to simple blockish but artistic forms. Carved in relief, the man’s eyes, nose and the curving outline of his face and chin are carefully defined. Below is the collar of his garment, and across his chest are two straps leading down to a belt. Tucked neatly inside the belt is a weapon, possibly a split-blade […]
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