Poised to pounce, this copper lion from Mari (Tell Hariri), Syria, once stood inside the entrance to a sanctuary. Part of a pair found embedded in the walls, the lion is 1 foot high and nearly 2 feet wide. Its mouth is agape as if it were caught in mid-roar, maybe offering a warning to interlopers to stay away from the temple dedicated to an unidentified deity known only as “king of the land.” But since guardian statues are usually found outside of the entrances they guard, the fact that this lion was found in the interior suggests that […]
