Fourth-century Yemeni tombstone to be auctioned off in London

The Yemeni expert in antiquities, Abdullah Mohsen, reported on Saturday the sale of a Yemeni artifact dating back to the fourth century BC in the British capital, London, explaining that the artifact is “a tombstone from the antiquities of Qataban.”

According to Mohsen, the piece is an ornate, sad and very striking tombstone, from Haid bin Aqeel.

He said that the David Aron Gallery sold a “very stylized and stunning stele, in the shape of a rectangular face with large almond-shaped eyes and articulated pupils, and a rectangular nose connected to arched eyebrows,” from Yemen, from the fourth century BC, 12 cm high and 15.5 cm wide.

Mohsen explained that “its small size makes it resemble a souvenir card made of limestone.” He explained that the stele is from a private British collection and was displayed for the first time at the London Art Market in 2011 accompanied by an “export license dated 4 May 1962 from Aden Colony in the name of Major M. D. van Leesen, signed by Donald Brian Doe, Director of Antiquities in Aden.