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 it served a different function.
The quality of the piece and the craftsmanship of the creator are evident in the details of the flowing mane, the flattened ears and the defined whiskers. It consists of 18 copper sheets placed on a frame and secured with copper rivets. The inlaid eyes are limestone and slate.
Mari was inhabited from the fourth millennium B.C. and flourished during the Middle Bronze Age until 1759 B.C., when it was destroyed by Hammurabi. Because of Mari’s cultural similarities to the Biblical patriarchs, it is often said that Abraham traveled through Mari, on the banks of the Euphrates, on his way from Ur to Harran. Mari is best known for its archive of cuneiform tablets that cover a span of almost 500 years.
The lion stood his ground for nearly 4,000 years until it was discovered in situ by French archaeologist André Parrot in 1937. It is currently on display at the Louvre in Paris. Its companion is in the museum in Aleppo, Syria.
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 […]
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