GREEK ART IN YEMEN ~ EROS /DIONYSOS RIDING A LION

 

Timna is an ancient city in Yemen, the capital of the Qataban kingdom. Its modern name is Beihan.

During ancient times, Timna was an important hub in the famous Incense Route, which supplied Arabian and Indian incense via camel caravan to ports on the Mediterranean Sea, most notably Gaza, and Petra.

Archaeological expeditions in Timna have yielded some very interesting artifacts. Through their excavations, archaeologists confirmed a great fire destroyed the city of Timna in the first century CE. They also unearthed this bronze lion and its boy rider covered with a layer of ash. The rider is often identified as Eros or Child Dionysus, the latter relates to the cult of Dionysus, the Greek God of wine, who was a popular figure in ancient Arabia. The sophisticated modeling and treatment of this sculpture, one of a pair, attest to the advanced bronze-casting tradition in Arabia. It also suggests the familiarity of local artists with the technical and artistic language of the Greeks.

The lion and its rider were cast separately using the lost-wax technique. An inscription on the base reads, "Thuwayb and Aqrab dhu-Muhasni placed [these figures] at Yafash. Thuwayb and Aqrab of the Muhasni family decorated the house called Yafash."

SOURCE  Wikipedia