Chicago auction to feature 12 rare Yemeni artifacts this May

SANAA, May 02 (YPA) – Yemeni antiquities researcher Abdullah Mohsen has revealed that 12 rare Yemeni artifacts are scheduled for sale at an international auction organized by “Freeman’s” in Chicago on May 20.

The collection includes pieces dating as far back as the 7th century BCE, featuring:

• Alabaster and limestone statues (standing and seated).
• Human heads, funerary steles, and symbolic carvings.
• Highlights include a 58cm alabaster statue of a standing man and a pair of ancient seated figures.

Mohsen noted that ownership records track a complex international journey through Belgium, Lebanon, Switzerland, France, and the UK before reaching galleries and auctions in the United States. This highlights the extensive illicit trade of Yemeni heritage in global markets.

These artifacts serve as physical evidence of the advanced civilization and sculptural traditions that flourished in ancient Yemen over two millennia ago.

YPA