Page 46 - Edessa, 'The Blessed City'-01, by J. B. Segal (Oxford, 1970). Chapters 1-3

CULTURAL LIFE 33
sculpture in the cave-tombs outside the walls of Edessa. Stone figures in
relief at Sumatar, both in a cave cut in the rock and on the sacred mount,
are no doubt by Edessan sculptors of the second century.1 At Sumatar, too,
is a free-standing statue of a man in Iranian costume, a great sword at his
side, which may have been erected in the same period.2 Statues were evi-
dently a familiar feature of Edessa itself. One of the columns on the Citadel
mount was crowned, as we have seen, by a statue of Queen Shalmath. The
Aquitanian abbess Egeria who visited the city in, probably, the fifth century,
was impressed by the statues in the summer palace by the pools, which were
probably set up under the monarchy. She writes;
[The bishop] led me to the palace of king Abgar, and showed me there the statue
which, as they said, was a very close likeness, made of marble of such lustre that it might
have been of pearl. From the features of king Abgar it was truly seen that this man was
greatly wise and dignified,... Nearby was a statue also made of the same marble, which
he said was [the representation] of [Abgar's] son Magnus, also with something of grace
in his features.3
There were other representations of Abgar at Edessa that survived to the
time of Egeria, apparently by the west gate through which, according to
tradition, the letter of Jesus had been brought to Abgar. Egeria adds, 'The
holy bishop also showed us a memorial4 of Abgar and of all his family which
was very beautiful but made in the ancient fashion.'
A few small miscellaneous reliefs of uncertain provenance, but probably
from the region of Edessa, are preserved at Urfa and may be ascribed to the
period of the monarchy.5 They include three reliefs of a nude male and a half-
nude female exchanging embraces, the busts of two male personages holding
a scroll, a Victory and some tritons. Two pieces of free-standing sculpture of
particular interest have survived at Urfa. Both have undated Syriac inscrip-
tions and both are likely to belong to this early period. One, a full-length
relief, shows a seated woman, and at her side the figure of her daughter in
miniature; it was erected by her husband. The other is a bust of a handsome
lady called Shalmath, also set up by her husband, and also with a miniature
full-length figure of her daughter by her side.6
We now have records of eight mosaics from Edessa,7 most of them found
within recent years, and all to be attributed to the last years of the monarchy
or the decades immediately following. We can speak of a school of Edessan

1 See PL 406, 41, and Pognon, op. cit. s On a bas-relief of two busts accompanied
2 See the photograph on PI. 130. The similar by a Greek inscription, which may belong to
statue found at Harran may belong to the same the second century, see p. 30 n. 5 above,
period; photograph on PL 136. 6 See the photographs on Pis. 12 a, b, 15 a, b.
3 Egeria's 'Magnus' is presumably Ma'nu 7 Nine, if we regard the mosaic published by
IX, who reigned from 214-40; if, however, the Clermont-Ganneau and analysed by E. Renan
legend of Abgar Ukkama were accepted, he as having been found at Urfa; see the present
would be Ma'nu V (A.D. 50-7). writer's article, BSOAS xxx, 1967, 297.
4 Latin, memoria.
8215452 D

www.knanayology.org