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Gold recumbent lamb from Ephesus. (Courtesy of the Vedat Nedim Tör Museum, Istanbul)
Gold recumbent lamb from Ephesus
The Lydians and their World
(2010)
Cat. 140
- Date
- Late 7th or early 6th century BC, Lydian
- Museum
- Selcuk, Ephesus Museum, 126/61/87
- Museum Inventory No.
- 126/61/87
- Material
- Gold
- Object Type
- Jewelry and Ornaments
- Site
- Ephesus
- Description
- Tiny gold recumbent lamb, with head turned to side, resting on low base (Ephesus Excavations Inventory ART 87/K262). Simplified representation, with short snout, ears flattened to head eyes indicated by raised dots. Hollow, made from two pieces of gold foil pressed into a form (cf. No. 187), with ears and other details added separately. Length 0.75 cm, width 0.4 cm, height 0.7 cm, weight 0.2 g.
- Comments
- Recumbent lambs are a specialty in Lydia (cf. Nos. 136, 184, 185, 186, and 187), and like the Lydian coins and pottery found at the Artemision, this may represent a product of Lydian or Lydianizing workmanship. Two examples of tiny, hollow gold statuettes have been found in the Artemision of Ephesus so far: this one, and one found by D. G. Hogarth (Hogarth et al. 1908, 107, pl. 3:4, 7:4, in the “Central Basis”). No. 140 was found 1987 during cleaning work in trenches 560, 561 and 562 (for the location of these trenches see Pülz 2009, plan 1; on the excavation: Bammer 1988, 1–4, fig. 3). Since the find spot is not specified in the excavation diary (entry of September 7th, 1987), the exact stratigraphic correlation and the find context are unknown. A connection with the rich finds in the ashy layer adjoining a square limestone base (“Cult Base D;” see above, No. 19) as stated by Yürük-Planken 2008, 133, cat. no. 16, and Pülz 2009, 142, 147, 223, no. 34, is possible, but not proven. In addition, one has to keep in mind that the trenches where No. 140 was found were situated 15 – 31 m east of “Cult Base D.”
- See Also
- Meriçboyu, “Jewelry”; Kerschner, “Lydians and Ionians”.
- Bibliography
- Gschwantler and Freiberger 2001, 79, fig. 10–11; Yürük-Planken 2008, 133, cat. no. 16; Pülz 2009, 54–55, 223 no. 34, pl 6, colorpl. 6.
- Author
- MK, NDC