1st century BC Yemeni

Yemeni artists during the late centuries BC and the early centuries AD were skilled carvers often working in rich materials such as alabaster. The materials reflected the stature of patrons from the area who had amassed great wealth in the trade of frankincense and myrrh, the two most valuable and popular incense resins of the time. Little is known about the culture and artists of the areas. In the 1st century BC Saba was described by the Sicilian historian Diodorus as filled with jewel-encrusted temples and homes decorated with ivory. No remains have been found to confirm this, and not one real shred of evidence of the Queen of Sheba's existence has been found to date.