The Lion of Mari is a

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

statue of a lion found in 1936 by

André Parrot André Charles Ulrich Parrot (15 February 1901 – 24 August 1980) was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and is best known for his work at Mari, Syria, where he led i ...

at the "Temple of Lions" in Mari, Syria. The statue is damaged, having been crushed during the destruction of the site, and only the anterior part of the body remains. It is currently on display in the Near Eastern Antiquities Department of the Louvre. The "Temple of Lions" where the two lion statues were found is known to have been built by the

Shakkanakku Shakkanakku ( Sumerian: , GIR.NITA or ''šagina'', , ''Shakkanakku''), was an Akkadian language title designating a military governor. Mari was ruled by a dynasty of hereditary Shakkanakkus which was originally set by the Akkadian Empire and gain ...

governor of Mari named

Ishtup-Ilum Ishtup-Ilum, also Ishtup-El (, ''Ish-dub-ilum'', c. 2147–2136 BCE) was a ruler of the city of Mari, one of the military governors known as '' Shakkanakku'' in northern Mesopotamia, after the fall of the Akkadian Empire. He was probably contempo ...

circa 2150 BCE. The Lion of Mari was probably produced to serve as

Protome A protome (Greek προτομή) is a type of adornment that takes the form of the head and upper torso of either a human or an animal. History Protomes were often used to decorate ancient Greek architecture, sculpture, and pottery. Protomes we ...

in the early Second Millennium BCE, at a time when the temple was being rebuilt, presumably during the reign of Zimrī-Lim (reigned c. 1775–1761 BCE.). It was excavated in 1936 by the Parrot expedition at the Temple of

Dagon Dagon ( he, דָּגוֹן, ''Dāgōn'') or Dagan ( sux, 2= dda-gan, ; phn, 𐤃𐤂𐤍, Dāgān) was a god worshipped in ancient Syria across the middle of the Euphrates, with primary temples located in Tuttul and Terqa, though many attes ...

in Mari (now

Tell Hariri Mari (Cuneiform: , ''ma-riki'', modern Tell Hariri; ar, تل حريري) was an ancient Semitic city-state in modern-day Syria. Its remains form a tell 11 kilometers north-west of Abu Kamal on the Euphrates River western bank, some 120&nb ...

, Syria) and is now on display at the Louvre; its twin figure is on display at the

National Museum of Aleppo The National Museum of Aleppo ( ar, متحف حلب الوطني) is the largest museum in the city of Aleppo, Syria, and was founded in 1931. It is located in the heart of the northern city on Baron Street, adjacent to the famous Baron Hotel and ...

. File:Aleppo lion.jpg, The other lion, in the Aleppo National Museum

References

Sources

Statue of a lion

Les fouilles de Mari
André Parrot, Syria Année 1938 Volume 19 Numéro 1 pp. 1–29 18th-century BC works 2nd-millennium BC sculptures 1936 archaeological discoveries Bronze sculptures Ancient Mesopotamia Near East and Middle East antiquities of the Louvre Mari, Syria Sculptures of lions France–Syria relations Dagon {{France-sculpture-stub