inscription dedicating the piece to the
god Talab, a portrait emerges of a rich,
classical culture from this area.
One of the most striking pieces is
the bronze head of a man with metic-
ulously coiffed "corkscrew locks"
believed to be from the second centu-
ry. The piece was presented by Imam
Yahya ibn Mohammad, ruler of
Northern Yemen from 1905-1948, to
King George VI on the occasion of his
coronation in 1936.
While 10 or 12 countries claim to
have been home to the Queen of
Sheba, including Iraq, Iran,
Madagascar and Ethiopia, Clapp nar-
rowed it down to the most likely four.
After extensive on-site research, he
finally settled on Saba, in Yemen,
which he believes is the most likely
area.
-
Yul Brynner and Gina
Lollobrigida in the 1959 film
"Solomon and Sheba"
"We have illustrations of what the
land of Sheba really looked like, none
of which has been shown in America
before," explained Simpson.
The exhibit captures the faces of
ordinary people, what they looked
like, their clothes, art, jewels, "all
beginning with a few lines from the
Book of Kings," Simpson said.
The curators said they hope the
exhibit will bring new interest in this
shadowy queen.
"Everyone has heard of the Queen
of Sheba, but they know very little
more than that. What this exhibit
does is illustrate there is a much more
complex series of tales," Simpson said.
Visitors learn that Sheba's land was a
much richer place, culturally and eco-
nomically, than previously thought. It
was a land that had much more than
spices. It had buildings four stories
higher than any other ancient build-
ings. This was a country that pros-
pered under her reign by trading com-
modities to Jerusalem and the Roman
Empire.
In the end, Simpson conceded that
the story of Sheba is still unfolding.
"People are always trying to make
sense of what they know a little about,
so there is a human need to under-
stand legends.
While he admitted there is no tangi-
ble evidence of her existence, so far,
enticing theories fit the timeline when
she was thought to have reigned.
Clapp pointed out, for example, that
it would be unusual for Saba to have
had a queen.
We have a list of their monarchs
and the queen doesn't appear on it.
But she may have ruled as a regent,
which was very, very common. So her
rule of 18 years probably fits," he said.
Clapp added that Sheba's kingdom
in Southern Arabia is a classical cul-
ture that has been "completely over-
looked." This likely was a culture that
interacted with the Greeks and
Romans over trade routes. There even
is a theory that the written script from
the area [on exhibit] could have been
a foundation of the Greek script.
Clapp also pointed out that the bib-
lical account of Sheba's visit to
Solomon makes sense as a "trade mis-
sion." The "executive queen theory"
suggests that Sheba might have been
sent on a trade mission by Saba's king
while the king stayed home to govern
the homeland.
The mystery continues to unfold.
"So it is left up to the viewer as to
whether Sheba is real or not,"
Simpson said. "We can demonstrate
the place and the economic conditions
of that place and show you what the
individuals looked like [from their
own funereal castings]. We can show
some of the art, personal jewelry,
architecture and culture. But what we
can't do is provide a queen.
"This [exhibit] creates a vivid pic-
ture of the queen that the archaeologi-
cal evidence can't do." II
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THE ORIGINAL
RESTAURANT
CC
Queen of Sheba: Legend and
Reality" runs through March 13.
2005, at the Bowers Museum of
Cultural Art, 2002 N. Main St.,
in Santa Ana, Calif. The museum
is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-
Sundays. Tickets are $14 for
adults and $8 for students and
senior citizens. For more infor-
mation, call (714) 567-3600 or
visit www.bowers.org online.
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2004
51