Standing on a cylindrical base, a youthful, flat-breasted Artemis is seen clad in a girded tunic with a mantle fixed with a brooch in the middle of her chest, covering her shoulders, and falling on her back all the way to her calves. The top of a quiver is visible behind the right shoulder, a hint suggesting that the object held in her lowered left hand might be what remains of a composite bow, and if so, the right hand can be assumed to have held an arrow. The facial features convey a stern impression, and a recent restoration of the broken head resulted in it turning slightly to the right. The hair is held with a ribbon and assembled in a bun above the nape.
In addition to the arc of the bow, the fingers of the right hand are missing. The statuette is hollow cast and soldered to the base. The surface is covered by a shiny green patina.
Provenance: Tell ʾUmm Ḥōrān (Darʿā Governorate). Discovered in 1954 in a tomb during excavations under the directorship of ʿAdnān al-Bunnī, N. H̱ayr, and Nasīb Ṣalībī, it was acquired by the Museum in 1955.
Substance: bronze.
Dimensions: H 28.4 cm, W 8,3 cm, D 5,3 cm.
Era: Roman (2nd CE).
Text; adapted from Weber (p. 51-52).
Collection: National Museum of Damascus.
Thomas M. Weber. Sculptures from Roman Syria in the Syrian National Museum of Damascus. Vol I, from Cities and Villages in Central and Southern Syria. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft. Worms. 2006.
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