Stone vessels.
Bowls on inverted cup-shaped feet not uncommon (VIII, Fig. 11).
Beads and seals.
Eye-beads in mosaic glass, and other glass beads (hard stone and
bronze more rarely): conoid seals in hard crystalline stones, usually
engraved with figure praying to the Moon-god: also soft stone, glass
and paste conoids. Scarabs and scaraboids in paste. Cylinders become
scarce.
V. Hellenistic. VI. Roman. VII. Byzantine.
Most of the characteristic Syrian products of all these Periods do
not differ materially from those found in other East Mediterranean
lands, e.g. Greece and Asia Minor. The change to Persian (Sassanian)
types comes in the late seventh century A.D.
Two classes of objects, examples of the first of which are mostly of
Age III, but may be Persian, Hellenistic, or even Roman, are very
commonly met with in Syria:
1. Figurines,
single or in pairs or threes, of bronze or terra-cotta, representing
cult-types. Most common is a standing god with peaked cap, short
tunic, and arm raised in act of smiting: a seated goddess also
common: figures of animals, especially a bull; and phallic objects
(these mainly Roman).
2. Glass
plain (iridescent from decay), ribbed, or moulded, in great variety
of forms-bowls, jugs, cups, &c. Mostly late Hellenistic, Roman, and
Byzantine, and especially common and of fine quality in the Orontes
valley.
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