Lion of Babylon is a stone sculpture, over 3,600 years old, that was found in the ancient city of Babylon, Iraq. [1] Its discovery was first documented in 1817 by Claudius Rich, although it may have been seen as early as 1790 by Joseph de Beauchamp. [2]
Lion of Babylon in 1909Lion of Babylon from the left side [1]
The statue may have been commissioned by the Chaldean Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II,[3] but most experts now believe it is of Hittite origin, made during a Hittite occupation of the city.[4]
The statue is made out of black basalt, is two meters in length, and the platform upon which it stands is one meter high. The lion weighs around 7000 kg. The statue's height is 1 meter.[5]
It depicts a Mesopotamian lion above a supine human figure. The postures of the lion and human strongly suggest that they are having sexual intercourse.[6] This interpretation is supported by the back of the lion, which contains a carved depression where it is believed that a saddle was originally placed, on which a figure of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, love, and war,[7] may have sat or stood.[8][9]
Modern historyedit
The statue had been damaged over the years due to lack of protection, getting climbed on by tourists that left marks on the statue, or natural causes like erosion which archaeologists had already feared was going to happen without the right protection of the statue.[10]
In 2013, the World Monuments Fund worked with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities to make improvements to the site. The Lion was cleaned and partially restored, the base of the statue was replaced, and a security barrier was added.[11]
Symbolismedit
The Lion of Babylon is a historic theme in the region. The statue is considered among the most important symbols of Babylon in particular and Mesopotamian art in general.[12] The statue is considered a national symbol of Iraq, it has been used by several Iraqi institutions such as the Iraqi Football Association.[13]
^"Ancient Iraq: Lion of Babylon – World Monuments Fund". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
^"Ancient Iraq: Lion of Babylon – Google Arts & Culture". Google Cultural Institute. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
^"Babylon Chronicle, A 1932 photograph of the Lion of Babylon from the". Tammuz.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
^"الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم". Ifa.iq. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
January 01, 1970
lion, babylon, statue, symbol, babylon, lion, babylon, iraqi, version, tank, lion, babylon, tank, lion, babylon, stone, sculpture, over, years, that, found, ancient, city, babylon, iraq, discovery, first, documented, 1817, claudius, rich, although, have, been,. For the symbol of Babylon see Lion of Babylon For the Iraqi version of the T 72 tank see Lion of Babylon tank Lion of Babylon is a stone sculpture over 3 600 years old that was found in the ancient city of Babylon Iraq 1 Its discovery was first documented in 1817 by Claudius Rich although it may have been seen as early as 1790 by Joseph de Beauchamp 2 Lion of BabylonMaterialBasaltHeight1 meterCreatedc 1595 BCDiscoveredbefore 1818Hillah Babylon IraqDiscovered byClaudius Rich or Joseph BeauchampPresent locationHillah Babylon Iraq Lion of Babylon in 1909 Lion of Babylon from the left side 1 The statue may have been commissioned by the Chaldean Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II 3 but most experts now believe it is of Hittite origin made during a Hittite occupation of the city 4 Contents 1 Description 2 Modern history 3 Symbolism 4 See also 5 ReferencesDescription editThe statue is made out of black basalt is two meters in length and the platform upon which it stands is one meter high The lion weighs around 7000 kg The statue s height is 1 meter 5 It depicts a Mesopotamian lion above a supine human figure The postures of the lion and human strongly suggest that they are having sexual intercourse 6 This interpretation is supported by the back of the lion which contains a carved depression where it is believed that a saddle was originally placed on which a figure of Ishtar the goddess of fertility love and war 7 may have sat or stood 8 9 Modern history editThe statue had been damaged over the years due to lack of protection getting climbed on by tourists that left marks on the statue or natural causes like erosion which archaeologists had already feared was going to happen without the right protection of the statue 10 In 2013 the World Monuments Fund worked with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities to make improvements to the site The Lion was cleaned and partially restored the base of the statue was replaced and a security barrier was added 11 Symbolism editThe Lion of Babylon is a historic theme in the region The statue is considered among the most important symbols of Babylon in particular and Mesopotamian art in general 12 The statue is considered a national symbol of Iraq it has been used by several Iraqi institutions such as the Iraqi Football Association 13 See also editIshtar Gate Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal Lion of Basrah Lion of Babylon Lion of JudahReferences edit Symbolism MENA 2018 12 26 The Lion of Babylon MENA symbolism Archived from the original on 2020 10 27 Retrieved 2020 04 29 أسـد بـابـل The Lion of Babylon retrieved 9 July 2023 Zeed Adnan Abu 30 June 2016 Prized Lion of Babylon joins list of crumbling Iraqi antiquities Al Monitor Retrieved 10 December 2018 Ancient Iraq Lion of Babylon Google Arts amp Culture Google Cultural Institute Retrieved 10 December 2018 Ancient Iraq Lion of Babylon World Monuments Fund Google Arts amp Culture Retrieved 2020 04 30 Bennett John G Journeys in Islamic Countries Bennett Books Santa Fe New Mexico 2000 page 106 Ancient Iraq Lion of Babylon World Monuments Fund Google Arts amp Culture Retrieved 2020 04 29 Ancient Iraq Lion of Babylon Google Arts amp Culture Google Cultural Institute Retrieved 10 December 2018 Babylon Iraq www atlastours net Retrieved 2020 04 30 Ancient Iraq Lion of Babylon World Monuments Fund Google Arts amp Culture Retrieved 2020 04 29 Ancient Iraq Lion of Babylon Google Arts amp Culture Google Cultural Institute Retrieved 10 December 2018 Babylon Chronicle A 1932 photograph of the Lion of Babylon from the Tammuz tumblr com Retrieved 2016 03 30 الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم Ifa iq Retrieved 2016 03 30 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lion of Babylon statue amp oldid 1210471872, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
