Funerary busts

Likenesses of the deceased were commonly erected over tombs throughout the Greco-Roman world. In the Land of Israel, however, the phenomenon only appears in Beth Shean and Samaria. The statues fuse Roman, Eastern, and local traditions: while the hairstyles, the clothing, and the use of the bust format are all characteristic of the Western Roman world, the design of the figures themselves is done in an Eastern style. The names of the deceased are engraved on several statues; some are Greek and some Semitic, reflecting the mixed population of Beth Shean.