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Horses and Camels in Palmyrene Art: Iconography, Contexts and Meanings

New publication by Professor Rubina Raja and Professor Eivind H. Seland (University of Bergen).

Palmyrene funerary portrait with a camel in the background (Photo: Palmyra Portrait Project, Ingholt Archive at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek).

Raja, R. & Seland, E. H. (2021). “Horses and Camels in Palmyrene Art: Iconography, Contexts and Meanings”, Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie 13, 300-329.

Abstract

While horses and camels depicted in Palmyrene artworks (first three centuries CE) have often been related to caravan trade, the animals are mostly shown with riding gear or as symbols in religious contexts. Drawing together all iconographic evidence of horses and camels from the area, the authors discuss  Palmyrene society’s attitude towards these animals.