Stones that speak

YOU don’t notice it at first. But all over the archaeological site at Palmyra you see the same symbol—on architraves and lintels, and especially on the magnificent Bel temple. The line of carved stone eggs, each one separated by a dart or arrow pointing downwards, was first used by the Greeks on the Erechtheum behind the Acropolis. It was brought to Syria by the Romans, who built Palmyra and decorated its monuments with the egg, meaning life or rebirth, and the arrow, war or death. For centuries the two were carved together, signifying the duality of human existence.