Nurturing the Elite

Representations of Drinking, Eating, and Religious Vessels in Palmyrene Funerary Iconography

Bobou, Olympia
Bucci, Ilaria
Raja, Rubina

Vessels as attributes were prominently depicted across all types of funerary monuments in Palmyra but have rarely been the subject of focused study. Yet with over 400 documented examples, vessels in fact hold a central place in shaping the iconography of Palmyrene portraits and offer unique insights into the aspirations, identities, and status of the individuals commemorated. This monograph investigates the role of vessels in Palmyrene funerary sculpture, exploring often neglected aspects of local portraiture. Through this approach, it seeks to place the study of vessels at the heart of ongoing critical discourse into Palmyrene society, its values, and its rituals, as well as exploring the city’s broader connections within cultural and economic networks in the Roman Near East and further afield. This research has been made possible thanks to the extensive data collection of the Palmyra Portrait Project (Aarhus University), which, since 2012, has compiled a comprehensive catalogue of Palmyrene sculptural production from the first three centuries AD.