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The Cramond Lioness is a Roman-era sculpture recovered in 1997 from the mouth of the River Almond at
Cramond Lioness
National Museum of Scotland
AOC Archaeology *Images of th
an
of the sculpture, DK Images 1997 in Scotland Collections of National Museums Scotland History of Edinburgh Archaeological sites in Edinburgh Scotland in the Roman era Outdoor sculptures in Scotland Roman Empire sculptures Sculptures of lions Stone sculptures in the United Kingdom
The Cramond Lioness is a Roman-era sculpture recovered in 1997 from the mouth of the River Almond at Cramond
Cramond Village (; gd, Cathair Amain) is a village and suburb in the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth.
The Cramond area has evidence of Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Roman ac ...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, Scotland. The sculpture, one of the most important Roman finds in Scotland for decades, was discovered by ferryman Robert Graham.
It depicts a bound male prisoner being killed by a lioness. The upper torso and head of the prisoner are shown, with the giant lioness behind him, sinking her teeth into his skull.
It is a large sculpture carved from a single block of stone. It is 1.52 metres long, 0.46 m wide, and 0.55 m high. A separate plinth was found nearby bearing carvings of two snakes.
The work is interpreted as a Roman sculpture possibly imported to Scotland, or possibly carved ''in situ'', to serve as part of the tomb of a Roman military commander or dignitary, and connected to the Cramond Roman Fort
Cramond Roman Fort is a Roman-Era archaeological site at Cramond, Edinburgh, Scotland. The settlement may be the "Rumabo" listed in the 7th-century '' Ravenna Cosmography''.
The fort was established around 140 AD and occupied until around 170 ...
next to which it was found. The location of such a tomb, and how the sculpture reached its location in the river, are unknown.
The sculpture is housed in the National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...
in Edinburgh. In 2003, plans were unveiled for the lioness to be housed in a new archaeological centre at the Roman Fort in Cramond; this proposal was still at the initial planning stage in 2008.
References
{{reflistExternal links
Cramond Lioness
National Museum of Scotland
AOC Archaeology *Images of th
an
of the sculpture, DK Images 1997 in Scotland Collections of National Museums Scotland History of Edinburgh Archaeological sites in Edinburgh Scotland in the Roman era Outdoor sculptures in Scotland Roman Empire sculptures Sculptures of lions Stone sculptures in the United Kingdom