Isolated Monuments in Highly Urbanised Landscapes.The Farayji Stela in Central-Western Syria

A fragmentary basalt stela carved in bas-relief discovered in Central-Western Syria is held by the National Museum of Aleppo (Inv. No. 468). The two surviving fragments were found in Farayji village, c. 20 km north-east of ??n a?-?ay??n belonging to the Idlib Governorate of North-Western Syria. The relief is not perfectly preserved: the surface is abraded and a direct examination in the Aleppo museum was not possible. Nevertheless, the finding place allows some conjectures about the original cultural landscape, while composition and subject matter provide a starting point for a discussion on the role and dissemination of stone commemorative sculpture in ancient Syria.