DOI article:
Wais, Jacek: Malakbel and Melquart
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26181#0103
Fig. 1. The relief of alliance-brotherhood of Aglibol and Malakbel. Palmyra
As we can see, Palmyrene artists put very inventively under this common
iconographical scheme — the scene of the alliance under the protectidn of the
eagle, the symbol of the supreme deity — solar and lunar deities (the fact
that Malakbel has not here any solar attribute, can be an oversight). If so, the
further development of this iconographical topie seem to be the well known
Syrian représentations, showing under the wide-spread wings of cosmic eagle
two acolytes representing the sun and the rnoon; the most superb monument
oi this kincl is undoubtedly the famous relief on the lintel from the Tempie of
Baalshamin in Palmyra. Of course it is not tins time a représentation of the
alliance (although we do not know what the ancients had thought of it), but
a development, a further utilisation of the iconographical thème. Its spécifie
abuse seerns to be the représentation on the plafond from Baalbek (fig. 4), where
two acolytes flank the cosmic eagle: undoubtedly the scene of ,,the glory”
of a supreme deity. In as much as the coins from Rhesaena truły render the
essence of contents of the représentation from the Temple of Bel, there is ano-
ther représentation with similar éléments, but which can be deciphered with
greater difîiculty. I mean a représentation from Tyre, the interprétation of
which was given by E. Will3. It was not yet put together with the relief of
Aglibol and Malakbel; the purpose of the article of E. Will were anyway other
complicated questions connected with the interprétation of the Tyrian relief.
We can see on it, from the right on, the flaming tree, the trunk of which wreathes
3 Au sanctuaire d’Héracles à Tyr: l’olivier enflammé, les stèles et les roches ambro-
siennes, „Berytus” 1950 - 51, p. 1 - 12, pl. I; new interprétation by H. Seyrig, Anti-
quités syriennes, „Syria” 1963, p. 23 - 26, pl. III.
98
As we can see, Palmyrene artists put very inventively under this common
iconographical scheme — the scene of the alliance under the protectidn of the
eagle, the symbol of the supreme deity — solar and lunar deities (the fact
that Malakbel has not here any solar attribute, can be an oversight). If so, the
further development of this iconographical topie seem to be the well known
Syrian représentations, showing under the wide-spread wings of cosmic eagle
two acolytes representing the sun and the rnoon; the most superb monument
oi this kincl is undoubtedly the famous relief on the lintel from the Tempie of
Baalshamin in Palmyra. Of course it is not tins time a représentation of the
alliance (although we do not know what the ancients had thought of it), but
a development, a further utilisation of the iconographical thème. Its spécifie
abuse seerns to be the représentation on the plafond from Baalbek (fig. 4), where
two acolytes flank the cosmic eagle: undoubtedly the scene of ,,the glory”
of a supreme deity. In as much as the coins from Rhesaena truły render the
essence of contents of the représentation from the Temple of Bel, there is ano-
ther représentation with similar éléments, but which can be deciphered with
greater difîiculty. I mean a représentation from Tyre, the interprétation of
which was given by E. Will3. It was not yet put together with the relief of
Aglibol and Malakbel; the purpose of the article of E. Will were anyway other
complicated questions connected with the interprétation of the Tyrian relief.
We can see on it, from the right on, the flaming tree, the trunk of which wreathes
3 Au sanctuaire d’Héracles à Tyr: l’olivier enflammé, les stèles et les roches ambro-
siennes, „Berytus” 1950 - 51, p. 1 - 12, pl. I; new interprétation by H. Seyrig, Anti-
quités syriennes, „Syria” 1963, p. 23 - 26, pl. III.
98