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Source Description
This rectangular block has a two-line "boustrophedon" inscription. The term, which translates as "turning like oxen in plowing," describes inscriptions that read continuously from right to left and then left to right, a common feature in South Arabian texts before the 4th century BC. This text, however, is unintelligible, and it is likely that it was produced in modern times. Yemeni forgers occasionally produce easily transportable pieces, like this example, to sell to foreign visitors. In this case, the maker had no knowledge of the ancient South Arabian language and merely copied the letters.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
76508
label
Stone Block with a Spurious Inscription
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
76508
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Stone Block with a Spurious Inscription
description
This rectangular block has a two-line "boustrophedon" inscription. The term, which translates as "turning like oxen in plowing," describes inscriptions that read continuously from right to left and then left to right, a common feature in South Arabian texts before the 4th century BC. This text, however, is unintelligible, and it is likely that it was produced in modern times. Yemeni forgers occasionally produce easily transportable pieces, like this example, to sell to foreign visitors. In this case, the maker had no knowledge of the ancient South Arabian language and merely copied the letters.
provenance
Sotheby's, London, between 1963 and 1971; Giraud and Carolyn Foster, Baltimore, between 1963 and 1971, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2007, by gift.
date
20th century
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Sculpture
reliefs
fragment
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
6.4
height
10.6
depth
4
dimensionsRaw
H: 2 1/2 x W: 4 3/16 x D: 1 9/16 in. (6.4 x 10.6 x 4 cm)
Source extras
med
limestone
creator_ids
15549
collection_ids
SAY
exhibition_ids
2002
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e3693a3924b8bfa8