art 247
north syrian ivory carvings are generally characterized by frontality,
bold oval faces, and the fuller use of space, while the south syrian or
“intermediate” style combines these characteristics with egyptianizing
elements, attention to detail, and the great technical skill (e.g., cloisonnée)
of phoenician ivories. the south syrian group, in particular, vividly docu-
ments the permeability of stylistic borders in the diffusion of ivory art.203
the ivory from arslan tash (hadattu) includes numerous prestigious
pieces from this group, including a set of three à-jour sphinx plaques that
show the characteristic design of a south syrian work (pl. XXIII). to cite
I. J. Winter, “the heads of the sphinxes are turned outward, so that faces
and collars confront the viewer. While they wear the ‘phoenician’ bib and
collar, in the turned heads, the shortened and somewhat grossly defined
wings and heavy paws, these sphinxes seem rather a cross between phoe-
nician and north syrian types.”204 a similar mixed style can be seen in the
numerous plaques of a cow suckling a calf from arslan tash, which were
fashioned in both à-jour relief and high relief on solid ground (pl. XXIv).205
this motif originated in the Minoan culture of the aegean region and the
Middle Kingdom of egypt and was long considered typically phoenician.206
the plaques indicate that it was adopted by syrian workshops in the early
1st millennium. the cross-media effect is not unusual in this context and
the same motif was also used in glyptic art, as several seal impressions
from hamath show.207
there are strong arguments for identifying Damascus as the origin of
much of the ivory from arslan tash. One of the undecorated ivories is
inscribed with the name of hazael, who is probably identical with the
king long known to have ruled Damascus in the late 9th century. Further-
more, it is quite probable that ivory was seized by the assyrians as booty
in Damascus and taken to the recently conquered territories in north-
ern syria, including the city of hadattu (arslan tash).208 this arbitrary
transfer of a prestigious luxury item and the raw material used to make
it (i.e., elephant tusks) provides a good explanation of how styles and
motifs spread and how regional workshops and schools formed far from
the places where these artistic styles originated.
203 see also Winter 2005: 24.
204 Winter 1981: 106 pl. 13a (= pl. XXIII).
205 Winter 1981: 106f pl. 10a–b (a = pl. XXIv).
206 Winter 1981: 106f.
207 see section 4.1 n. 177.
208 concerning the assyrian records and especially the role that the turtān Šamši-ilu
(mid-8th century B.c.) might have played in the transfer of ivory goods to hadattu, see
Winter 1981: 122f.