Two Bronze Equestrian Statues from Syria and Arabia

Abstract

This article shows how even small fragments of large-format bronze statues that have been already published some time ago can provide new insights. This is demonstrated by two bronze fragments from Qaryat al-Faw (Saudi Arabia) and Palmyra (Syria). The arrangement of the cuirass leather straps (pteryges) indicates that the fragments belonged to equestrian statues. This observation can be supported by analogies of bronze equestrian statues from the central Greek-Roman areas of the Mediterranean. The two examples from Syria and Saudi Arabia show that the local Arab rulers in antiquity closely followed Greek-Roman models to document their claim to power.