Arab Soldier on Abbasid Ivory Plaque, mid-8th century AD, Humayma, Jordan.

Ivory panel with soldier; discoloration due to burnt condition; height ca. 30 cm

The designs on the reconstructed ivory veneer panels include six human figures in pairs, quadrupeds, birds, fish, and vegetal and geometric motifs. The ivory fragments — damaged and blackened by fire — were conserved and reassembled into panels by Judy Logan and Naif Zaban. The figures wear Persianate tunics over blousy pantaloons; four are in military dress and hold a long spear, seemingly evoking the rebellious activities of the Abbasids towards the mid-8th century. These remarkabl eivories suggest a close affiliation between Humayma and the popular power base for the Abbasids in Khurasan, another testimony to the wide-ranging connections of this small site across the centuries.
Source: p.6, The Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic Site of Humayma: A Look Back on Three Decades of Research by John P. Oleson, M. Barbara Reeves, and Rebecca M. Foote

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