Funerary relief ca. 150-200 This relief is a type of funerary monument characteristic of the prosperous caravan city of Palmyra during the first three centuries A.D. Reliefs with a representation of the deceased and a short identifying inscription were used to seal burial niches in elaborately decorated communal tombs; those with a half-length or bust format became prevalent sometime after A.D. 65. Shown here is the upper body of a beardless man in high relief who faces directly toward the viewer, dressed in a Greek cloak known as a himation, worn over a chiton, or tunic, and wrapped around the right arm like a sling. The folds of the garment are carved in angular ridges. He holds a small object in his left hand, probably a schedula (book roll), and wears a ring on the little finger. Originally, the background of the relief was probably inscribed in Palmyrene Aramaic with the name and lineage of the deceased, although it is now blank with a rough surface that suggests it may have been