Terracotta figurines from the National and Military Museums in Sana’a, Yemen
Terracotta figurines have been recovered through archaeological excavation at six sites in Yemen (Fig. 1). These include Wadi al-Thayyilah (1), Ma’rib (2), Wadi al-Jauf (3), Hajar bin Humeid (4), Sabir Lahj (5) and al-Quraiyat (6). The figurines in the National and Military Museums were not, ho...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Blackwell Munksgaard
2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/28756/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/28756/1/Terracotta_figurines.pdf |
| Summary: | Terracotta figurines have been recovered through
archaeological excavation at six sites in Yemen
(Fig. 1). These include Wadi al-Thayyilah (1), Ma’rib
(2), Wadi al-Jauf (3), Hajar bin Humeid (4), Sabir
Lahj (5) and al-Quraiyat (6). The figurines in the
National and Military Museums were not, however,
discovered during controlled excavations but were
obtained as donations or by purchase. Most of them
show similarities with those from excavated sites in
Yemen or with material from controlled excavations
elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula (Fig. 2) such as
Qaryat al-Fau (7), Dumat al-Jandal (8), Thaj (9),
ed-Dur (10), Mleiha (11), Rumeilah (12), Qal’at
al-Bahrain (13) and Failaka (ancient Ikaros) (14).
Correlation with similar types found in excavations
in Yemen and elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula
indicates that they date from the second millennium
BC to the end of the second century AD.
In the following study fifty-one terracotta figurines
in the National Museum (nos 1–13, 16–33, 35,
38–45, 50, 52, 53, 56–60 and 63–65) and fourteen in
the Military Museum (nos 14–15, 34, 36–37, 46–49,
51, 54–55 and 61–62) are presented. All the figurines
presented here were handmade. Tools may have
been used to incise the eyes, mouth, necklaces,
nipples, navel and belly furrows. The thumb and
forefinger were generally used to suggest the spinal
column, rump, eye cavities, nose and breasts. In
some cases the eyes, breasts and hair were made
separately and then affixed to the clay (applique´).
There is no evidence of moulding. The figurines
ranged from 13.5 to 462.5 g in weight and from 3.8 to
16.1 cm in height. The most common colours were
Pale Red 10R 7/4, 7/2, 7/3, 6/4, 6/3, 6/2, 2.5YR 7/2;
and Light Red 10R 6/6, 7/6, 7/8, 6/8, 2.5YR 7/6 (see
Table 1). The figurines have been classified into five
groups and sub-groups as outlined below. Hardness
was measured using the Mohs scale, and colour
designations are given according to the Munsell Soil
Colour Chart. |
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