Queen of Sheba : Treasures from Ancient Yemen

by Simpson, st John; Simpson, st John; British Museum

• ISBN13: 9780714111513
• ISBN10: 0714111511
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-06-01
• Publisher: David Brown Book Co
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

The Queen of Sheba is a famous legendary figure, first referred to in the Old Testament as bringing great riches to the court of Solomon. Later Jewish, Islamic, Ethiopian and Christian traditions dwell on different attributes, giving rise to a rich artistic vein, particularly but not exclusively in Renaissance and later art. The truth is that the Queen of Sheba remains an anonymous figure of legend associated with the land of Saba', one of the great early kingdoms of southern Arabia (present-day Yemen). The ancient caravan kingdoms of this region have fascinated travellers and scholars since the nineteenth century but our understanding of the history and culture of this region has been fundamentally revised as a result of new archaeological discoveries made in recent decades. This exhibition catalogue charts the story from the Queen of Sheba in art and legend to the archaeological evidence for the historic kingdoms that gave rise to the legend. It contains twelve essays by leading scholars from Britain, USA, Canada and Europe. Over 300 items are described and illustrated in colour, ranging from little-known artworks in UK collections to antiquities from Yemen, mostly never previously exhibited in Britain and providing a magnificent record of the riches of southern Arabia. Book jacket.

Author Biography

St John Simpson is an Assistant Keeper in The British Museum and is responsible for the ancient Arabia, Iran and 'Alexander to Islam' period collections in the Department of the Ancient Near East. He has worked on archaeological projects throughout the Near East, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates, and has co-directed excavations at Merv in Turkmenistan

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. 6
Sponsor's Foreword	p. 7
Foreword	p. 8
Contributors	p. 10
Introduction: Yemen, the Land of the Queen of Saba'	p. 11
The Queen of Sheba in Western Popular Cueture 1850-2000	p. 12
Catalogue Entries 1-10	p. 23
Legends of the Queen of Sheba	p. 31
Catalogue Entries 11-23	p. 39
Saba' and the Sabaeans	p. 51
Catalogue Entries 24-37	p. 59
Kings, Kingdoms and Chronology	p. 67
Catalogue Entries 38-87	p. 73
Before Sheba	p. 80
Catalogue Entries 88-98	p. 86
Trade, Incense and Perfume	p. 88
Catalogue Entries 99-118	p. 95
Agriculture and the Countryside	p. 102
Catalogue Entries 119-23	p. 108
Arts, Crafts and Industries	p. 110
Catalogue Entries 124-87	p. 117
Archtecture	p. 142
Catalogue Entries 188-98	p. 148
Languages and Writing	p. 153
Catalogue Entries 199-205	p. 157
Religion	p. 161
Catalogue Entries 206-42	p. 166
Death and Funerary Practices	p. 180
Catalogue Entries 243-317	p. 187
Notes	p. 208
Bibliography	p. 210
Concordance	p. 216
Index	p. 220
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