Procession of Nobles AD 100-150 Syria, Palmyra Limestone Overall: 57.7 x 120.7 x 34.5 cm (22 11/16 x 47 1/2 x 13 9/16 in.) Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1970.15 DESCRIPTION Palmyra was a key center for trade between the Roman and Parthian Empires. This unique relief has been associated with Palmyra only through stylistic comparisons; it is not known where it was found on the site. It depicts men in Parthian dress riding Arabian horses with bejeweled harness trappings ahead of riders on camels—a possible reference to the caravans that made Palmyra so wealthy. Although all of the riders are dressed and equipped as Parthians, the proportions and perspective of the scene seem to be informed by Greco-Roman conventions. It may depict a ceremonial procession. CITATIONS The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 30 archive.org Neils, Jenifer. “The Twain Shall Meet.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 72, no. 6, 1985, pp. 326–359. Mentioned: p. 333, fig. 9. Reproduced: p. 332, fig. 9 www.jstor.org The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 13 archive.org EXHIBITION HISTORY Year in Review: 1970. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 10-March 7, 1971). The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).