Copper‐alloy figurines from Tell Abraq (Umm al‐Quwain, UAE) and the circulation of Hellenistic motifs in late pre‐Islamic Arabia (300 bc –300 ad )

Bibliographic Data

ID12181559
AuthorsAlexia Pavan (0009-0000-3320-2627, Independent researcher, corresponding author), Michele Degli Esposti (0000-0002-7544-0735, Division for the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Department of Ancient Egyptian and Near East Cultures Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences Warsaw Poland)
Year2023
Volume34
Issue1
Pages87-101
Publication date2023-05-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArabian archaeology and epigraphy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0905-7196 • E-ISSN: 1600-0471
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/aae.12228
OpenAlexW4372361538
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited14

Four copper‐base figurines recently discovered at the site of Tell Abraq (Umm al‐Quwain, UAE) illustrate the circulation of allochthonous artistic motifs across the Arabian Peninsula during the late pre‐Islamic period (broadly, 300 bc –300 ad ). It is argued that these motifs were adopted by the local communities even in the absence of a full understanding of their genuine meaning and consequently, possibly adapted for the representation of local deities or elite members. These derivative artefacts travelled alongside high‐quality local products, both kinds of objects being witnessed at Tell Abraq. There, a unique figurine of a standing naked man additionally fosters some considerations about the diffusion of Herakles’ iconography in the region. The finds presented here might be generally indicative of the presence of high‐rank burials extensively looted in antiquity, while so far, the presence of other structures to which they could be related has to be discarded

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Elite · Geography · Iconography · Islam · Peninsula · Representation (politics · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Historical Studies · History · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology

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