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Lion pillar, front view. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Lion Pillar
Report 2: Sculpture from Sardis: The Finds through 1975
(1978)
Cat. 220
- Date
- Mid-2nd to early 3rd C. AD, Roman
- Museum
- Manisa, Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, 3792
- Museum Inventory No.
- 3792
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- S63.059
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Sculpture
- Sculpture Type
- Furnishing, Animal
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- BS
- Trench
- Syn 63
- Locus
- BS Locus BS-E 19 (Area of)
- B-Grid Coordinates
- E111.5 - E112.5 / S0.5 *97.75
- Findspot
- BS corner of E 19.
- Description
A roaring lion’s head, heavily maned and with tongue hanging out, is atop a great curving chest which in turn grows from a lion’s foot. Behind the chest, on each side, is a flat inward-curving spiral and a rough, unfinished blank area. At the back is a roughly carved vertical support, with multiple claw chisel marks and anathyrosis. This area would have been attached to the table above.
The drilling in the mane is deep; bridges were left periodically, making a broken pattern; and the drill was also used for separating the front claws. The technique suggests a date under the Antonines or Severans.
- Condition
Large-grained grayish marble.
Slight damage to lower mouth; otherwise complete, except for break at top of back support.
- Dimensions
- H. 0.87; W. at chest 0.23; D. 0.16
- Comments
- Published: Hanfmann and Ramage, “Sculpture from Sardis”. This entry. Cf. Richter, Ancient Furniture, fig. 575. For lion table legs in use, see Cumont, Recherches pl. XXV:2; Fıratlı, Stèles, pls. IXff.
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Author
- NHR