Copper‐alloy figurines from Tell Abraq (Umm al‐Quwain, UAE) and the circulation of Hellenistic motifs in late pre‐Islamic Arabia (300 bc–300 ad)

Abstract

AbstractFour copper‐base figurines recently discovered at the site of Tell Abraq (Umm al‐Quwain, UAE) illustrate the circulation of allochthonous artistic motifs across the Arabian Peninsula during the late pre‐Islamic period (broadly, 300 bc–300 ad). It is argued that these motifs were adopted by the local communities even in the absence of a full understanding of their genuine meaning and consequently, possibly adapted for the representation of local deities or elite members. These derivative artefacts travelled alongside high‐quality local products, both kinds of objects being witnessed at Tell Abraq. There, a unique figurine of a standing naked man additionally fosters some considerations about the diffusion of Herakles’ iconography in the region. The finds presented here might be generally indicative of the presence of high‐rank burials extensively looted in antiquity, while so far, the presence of other structures to which they could be related has to be discarded.