Betyls are one form of Nabataean aniconic sculpture. Often explained as representations of Dushara, the central Nabataean deity, betyls occur in a wide variety of shapes, groupings, and niches.
It is inscribed Αλεξαμενος (Αλεξαμενοϲ) Σεβετε (Ϲεβετε) ΘΕΟΝ, which translates as "Alexamenos worships his god". Visible at the museum on the Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy (left).
The Tomb of Absalom (Hebrew: יד אבשלום, romanized: Yad Avshalom, lit. 'Absalom's Memorial'), also called Absalom's Pillar, is an ancient monumental rock-cut tomb with a conical roof located in the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem, a few…