Description
The upper left side of this composition depicts an imaginary creature composed of an Asiatic lion's head, a serpent-like body, a fishtail, and wings. A nude child deity grasps one of the creature's wing with his left hand and holds a short sword in his right hand to control it. A smaller fragment containing the head of a similar composite beast in the British Museum might be the complement to this vignette. The lower right section depicts a nude fertility goddess emerging from vine leaves and grapes. With the increasing influence of Greco-Roman culture during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, new artistic styles and motifs, such as this female deity, became part of ancient South Arabian culture.
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