Limestone bust from a Palmyrene funerary relief; carved with woman wearing a fur edged mantle; holds the end in her left hand; right hand raised to shoulder; high wreathed coiffure from which hangs in front an elaborate ornamental band with three tails on to her brow; also has necklace, finger-ring and ear-ring; background is a represented suspended cloth overlooked by a miniature male figure who holds an object.

These stone faces, representing Roman Syrians, who lived between about AD 50-270, come from tombs outside the city of Palmyra. Their fashions are Syrian but they are shown in realistic Roman style.

There were three types of tombs, all built for wealthy citizens: single-storey house tombs, tomb towers of several storeys and underground rock-hewn tombs. Inside, each tomb contained rows of compartments set into the walls to hold the remains of the dead. Each was sealed with a plaque bearing a stone portrait of the dead person accompanied by a brief inscription.