It is rare when a new find creates renewed interest in an old subject. Here, the new find is a leontocephaline (lion-headed) figure of unknown provenance, weighing 5.8 kg and 37 cm in height with a width of 14 cm. Its base is partially broken, so it is unclear if the figure was standing on a globe, an expected position, or not. The main figure is a standing, naked leontocephaline figure with only a loin cloth in the front and two closed wings on the back; from the front, the wings appear as a mantle around the figure, but they are clearly wings, probably belonging to an eagle.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/685/another-ariamanus-statue-found-the-evil-spirit-of/.
Join the Conversation
- Do you think the lion-headed statue is more likely a symbol of evil or of cosmic power?
- Why do you think different religions may have used similar lion and snake images?
- How should historians judge a statue when its original home is unknown?
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