Image Details

From Novak and Pfälzner, “Ausgrabungen in Tall Mišrife-Qatna 2001” (2002)

FANCY FLORALS. More than 3,000 painted wall fragments, including Aegean-style flora, dolphins and turtles were discovered at Qatna in Syria between 2000 and 2004. Among the Minoan-inspired floral motifs are leafy borders and running spirals interspersed with palmettos. Other fragments show a palm tree with bushels of dates and brown grass that also look Minoan. The fragments were found in 14th-century B.C. contexts but may have been painted as early as the 16th century. Qatna is the only site where the Aegean-style paintings remained on the palace wall until the building went out of use; at all of the other sites, the frescoes were removed during remodeling phases and thrown out not long after they were installed. Scholars are still puzzled by this phenomenon.