Lion of Babylon is a stone sculpture, over 2600 years old, that was found in the ancient city of Babylon, Iraq. It was discovered in 1876 by a German archaeological mission. The statue may have been commissioned by the Chaldean Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BC), but most experts now belief it is of Hittite origin, made during a Hittite occupation of the city.

Description

The statue is made out of black basalt; it depicts a

Mesopotamian lion The Asiatic lion is a population of ''Panthera leo leo'' that today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat ...

standing above a lying human. The statue is two meters in length and the platform upon which it stands is one meter high. The lion weighs about 7000 kg. The statue's height is 1 meter. On the back of the lion is a carved depression, in which it is believed that a saddle was originally placed, on which a figure of

Ishtar Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in Su ...

, the goddess of fertility, love, and war, may have sat or stood.

Modern history

The statue had been damaged over the years due to lack of protection, getting climbed on by tourists that left marks on the statue, or natural causes like erosion which Archaeologists had already feared was going to happen without the right protection of the statue. However, the most significant damage, as seen today, to the face and jaw was caused in 1917, as witnessed by Private Robert John Morgan of the Army Service Corps during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 2013 the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...

worked with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities to make improvements to the site. The Lion was cleaned and partially restored, the base of the statue was replaced, and a security barrier was added.

Symbolism

The

Lion of Babylon The Lion of Babylon is an ancient Babylonian symbol. History Antiquity The Lion of Babylon symbolically represented the King of Babylon.Benjamin Sass, Joachim Marzahn. Aramaic and figural stamp impressions on bricks of the sixth century B. ...

is a historic theme in the region. The statue is considered among the most important symbols of Babylon in particular and Mesopotamian art in general. The statue is considered a national symbol of Iraq, it has been used by several Iraqi institutions such as the

Iraqi Football Association The Iraq Football Association (IFA) ( ar, الاتحاد العراقي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraqi national team and the Iraqi Premier League. The Iraqi Football Association was founded ...

. The lion was meant to put fear into their enemies, by showing a lion trampling a man to scare their enemies.

References

{{Reflist Archaeological discoveries in Iraq Babylonian art and architecture Hittite art National symbols of Iraq Nebuchadnezzar II Sculptures of lions Sculpture of the Ancient Near East

Description

Modern history

Symbolism

See also

References