ABSTRACT
Palmyra in the Syrian Desert is a famed oasis city which flourished in the first three centuries ce. From the scattered evidence available, it is possible to conclude that the representations of the Palmyrene elite in the public spaces in Palmyra were more diverse in their choice style than in the funerary sphere. The funerary sphere was dominated by a set of monumental grave buildings, namely the large grave towers, which hover over the city to this day and are characteristic features of Palmyra. Palmyrene society was a tribal-based society and had a set of strong elite families that dominated the public and religious life of the city. In total, only about 60 more or less fragmented sculptures belonging to the public sphere and assigned as being honorific statues survive from Palmyra. Some public sculpture in antiquity was made of bronze and marble.
