The head is oblong and green-beige in color with no personal features displayed, consistent with South Arabian figures.  The presence of inscriptions on the base and the fact that they come from necropoleis has led scholars to deduce that they were commemorative portraits that were placed close to tombs.  The inscriptions refer to the name of the represented figure and to his clan.

This statue belongs to the “Middle Period” which was at the same time, approximately, as the Hellenistic Greek period.

The antiques in their galleries represent over 7000 years of history, from the Neolithic Period of the 6^th Millennium B.C. all the way through the 14^th century A.D. Hicham and Ali use their knowledge and expertise to offer advice to prospective buyers and to explain many of the intricate details of the pieces that they display and sell.

This figure represents the Mother Goddess who would have protected human fecundity, fields and herbs fertility.  The figure would have been worshipped quite widely, from the near East to Western Central Europe.

As the Phoenix Ancient Art website states, “Mostly modeled of terracotta (stone examples are rare), the figures of steatopygic women probably originated from Anatolia (Catal Hüyük, Hacilar), but they were largely spread over a vast area extending from northern Syria (Tell Bouqras) to the Aegean world.”

Phoenix Ancient Art’s Dark Age Gems

Although the Dark Ages – as its name suggests – was an era of decline, the art work sold by Phoenix Ancient from this time period is quite different.  This is the case with the buckle currently on sale which boasts beautiful curls and circles as well as animal heads.  It is shaped like a lyre which was the stringed instrument that was traditional in Romanic and Greek art works.  These buckles were very popular amongst the Germanic tribes which dominated Europe following the end of the Roman Empire.

Phoenix Art’s Bronze Figure of Serapis Seated on a Throne

One such piece from this area open for bidding at Phoenix Art’s online site, is a Bronze figure of Serapis seated on a throne.  It is a very proud statute, depicting a man with long hair which covers his neck.  The man has a strong, bold look to him, with a quite distant expression.  Serapis was a Hellenistic-Egyptian god, well-known for his Serapium of Alexandria Temple.

Interestingly, the sale of antiques over the internet has also blossomed. As Hicham Aboutaam says, “We just sold a $150,000 piece over the web,” Hicham says. “We never met. The buyer just wired the money, and we sent the piece. That’s it.”

Many of these antiquity companies are seeing their businesses taking off more than ever before. For instance, Phoenix Ancient Art, owned by the Aboutaam brothers, sold 12 pieces in 2007 for more than $1 million each. This is compared to 2005 when they only sold two pieces. In comparison, Sotheby’s didn’t sell any antiquities for over $1 million in 2006 and sold six of this sort in 2007.

This is certainly good news for the antiquities field – and for hard working companies that want to publicize the important of antiquities.

Should you be looking for a beautiful example of Early Greek antiques, this “Psi” idol from Phoenix Ancient Art is an outstanding choice.  Decorated by hand with brownish red paint, this statue represents a woman with arms uplifted and a flat head.

This type of figure first appeared in Mycenaean tombs beginning in the 15th century B.C.  As reported by a number of archeologists, these figures represent a Neolithic mother goddess.  Some posit, therefore, that they should be grouped with ritual objects that were intended to help with fertility and female needs.

The Mycenaean Terracotta Cup is an exceptional example of Early Greek antiques.  Available through the Phoenix Ancient Art galleries, owned by Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam, this one-handled cup includes delicately painted spirals.  The cup is made of a fine clay and the general shape suggests that the artists were influenced by metal types.

The cup has been beautifully preserved and is relatively rare.  It was produced between 1600 BC and 1200 BC, during a time of great cultural exchanges and contact.  It represents a time when connections were growing between the Mycenaean world of mainland Greece and the island civilization of Crete, creating the Creo-mycenaean culture.

Antique dealers, such as Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam came from many different countries.  Such locations represented included: Belgium, France, Germany, Great-Britain, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal, Russia, Spain, USA and Switzerland.

36,000 visitors were expected to come to see the vast selection of available antiques including Oceanic art, African art, Oriental art, silver, antique jewelery, ceramics, earthenware and porcelain, drawings, and much more.