Akabeos

 

This altar has the form of a pillar, square in cross-section, and raised on a broader base, the top of which is fashioned in a prismatic smooth molding. The shaft is crowned by an elaborate libation contraption, topped by a flat bowl, the cylindrical stand of which is decorated with symmetrical figurines of four eagles, spreading their wings, and facing each other. Held between the birds' beaks are two chains of thick beads. 

The anterior face of the shaft displays a frontal relief of an upright man whose left hand carries a sling-shaped container filled with fruits and fixed on the shoulders with round fibulae. The right upper extremity is lowered, and the right hand carries a difficult-to-identify object, perhaps a jug. The man is dressed like a peasant with a sleeveless tunic, the overfold of which reaches below his waist. The feet are clad with simple short boots. The face is round and chubby-cheeked; it features a narrow forehead, large round eyes, a pug nose, and thin lips. The hair, with its radial tufts, evokes the style of Trajan and therefore helps date the sculpture. 

The left lateral face of the shaft displays the following Greek inscription distributed over six lines: 

ΑΚΑΒΕΟΣ ΑΒΔΑΙΟΥ ΑΝΕΘΗΚΕΝ

"Akabeos, son of Abdaios, dedicated it"

The altar is in a near-perfect state of preservation. Large parts of the surface are coated with a thin layer of light bluish patina. Traces of red painting are seen in the grooves of the inscribed letters. 

Provenance: al-Kafr. Excavated by the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities in 1952, during a rescue mission in a vineyard to the north of the village. 

Substance: basalt. 

Dimensions: H 78 cm, W 25 cm, D 25 cm. 

Era: late first to early second century CE. 

Text: adapted from Weber (p.98).

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.