A good Palmyrene Limestone Portrait Head of a Youth<br><em>ca. 2nd - 3rd century CE</em>

From a funerary relief, this beautifully carved portrait head of a young man is characteristic of the prosperous caravan city of Palmyra during the first three centuries CE. Here, he models a full head of thick wavy locks brushed forward, a light mustache is depicted by straight incised lines above contoured bow-shaped lips that offer a slight smile. In symmetrical proportions to the oval face, his small nose is straight, while his ears, protruding from his hair just a little, end in fleshy lobes. His wide, almond-shaped eyes, emphasized by incised irises, and below softly arching brows, present an elegant and delicate composition, making the eyes as a whole one of the most outstanding features of this piece.By the mid-first century CE, Palmyra — or "place of the palms"—was a wealthy and impressive city located along the caravan routes that linked the Parthian Near East with Roman-controlled Mediterranean ports. During the period of great prosperity that followed, rivaling even Antioch