Ancient South Arabia, Yemen, ca. early first millennium BCE. A cast bronze statuette of a camel with an erect head and neck, a slight hump, and lightly bumpy surface overall that create the impression of thick fur. A thick ring around the neck suggests a harness or collar. Below the feet, integral to the form, are two narrow bars, giving an idea of how this camel was displayed - inset into a base or surface. Size: 2.75" W x 3.3" H (7 cm x 8.4 cm); 3.5" H (8.9 cm) on included custom stand.
The camel was domesticated in South Arabia some time during the Bronze Age (ca. 3000 BCE), and rapidly became central to its economy. Camels allowed them to traverse the vast desert of the Rub al-Khali, "the Empty Quarter", and were the main method of transport for long-distance trade north to the huge urban centers of the ancient Near East. In turn, South Arabia became famous as a source of perfumes and incense necessary to religious ceremonies in Mesopotamia and beyond.
Bronze camel statuettes like this one seem to have been votive offerings, often presented as this one is without inscription. For example, many were found as funerary offerings in the necropolis of 'wm. See a similar example, but with a saddle, at the British Museum (1992,0623.3).
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
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#137193
Condition
Light deposits on surface, with a pale green patina. Intact with a nicely preserved form.