Description
Learn about ancient Yemen and its central position in the incense trade with this tour of the exhibition Ancient Yemen: Incense, Art, and Trade. Plus, get exclusive insights from Antonietta Catanzariti, the museum's associate curator for the ancient Near East.
Nestled in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen became a major hub for the trade of incense during the first millennium BCE. Incense was traded by land and also by sea, reaching the Mediterranean world as well as ancient Iran and South Asia. The fine alabaster statues and metalworks on view display the masterful skills of artists from ancient Yemen, who blended local ideas and Greek and Roman inspirations into new creations, underscoring the region’s remarkable artistic and cultural cosmopolitanism.
Please meet at the gallery for the tour. Register in advance to make sure you get the best experience.
Image: Striding lion with Eros child (one of a pair) (detail), Yemen, early 1st century BCE–mid-1st century CE, bronze, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection, Gift of The American Foundation for the Study of Man (Wendell and Merilyn Phillips Collection), S2013.2.77.1
