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The ancient kingdom of Saba ruled over the
lands of southern Arabia, centered in
modern
day Yemen. Saba is perhaps better known
as
Sheba, the Hebrew word for the kingdom,
whose
famous Queen was recounted as having
visited
Solomon in the pages of the Old Testament.
Biblical accounts speak of the wealth of this
ancient civilization of traders and merchants,
and
modern archaeological excavations confirm
these
reports. Ruins of fortresses and walled towns
are
evident and remnants of their extensive
irrigation
system that turned the desert into a paradise
still cover the land. Although gold and silver
deposits were present, the chief source of
their
vast wealth was derived from their veritable
monopoly of two of the most coveted
materials
in ancient times: frankincense and myrrh,
resinous gums obtained from certain trees
that
only grow in Southern Arabia and were
literally
worth their weight in gold. There was not a
temple or wealthy house in the ancient
world,
from Babylon to Rome, where one would not
smell the fragrant scents of these incenses.
In
addition, a trade route that connected India
to
Egypt that passed through their capital of
Marib
was another major source of wealth.
Perhaps
their greatest accomplishment was the Great
Dam of Marib, a monumental construction
that
brought water from the mountains both to
the
city and to the crop fields. The dam was in
continual use (accounting for timely repairs)
until
the 6th Century A.D. and its ultimate
destruction
is detailed in the Koran as the end of the old
world and a turning point in history. However,
the civilization that created this wonder fell
apart
long before the damn did. In the 1st Century
A.D., the Ptolemaic Greeks discovered a sea
route from India directly to the port of
Alexandria, eliminating Saba from this
lucrative
trade and ushering in the decline of Sabean
prosperity.
This fertility goddess stands with her arms
crossed ever so humbly underneath her
bust. Her
pronounced single eyebrow, which is
common in
Sabean art, gives the fertility goddess an air
of
maternal wisdom. Her sympathetic eyes
greet us
with a mother’s welcoming spirit such that
we
long for her embrace. Although her facial
structure seems rather masculine, her
femininity
is accentuated through her defined breasts
and
wide hips. The viewer may wonder ‘What is
the
importance of a fertility goddess’? Her vital
role
lay in aiding to perpetuate procreation,
civilization; simply stated: humanity. This
fertility
goddess reveals her tenderness just through
her
gaze, leaving the viewer assured of her care
and
concern.
- (LO.1379)
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