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Portal Lion

Possibly towards the end of the 1880s this portal lion had been removed from the gateway of the Maraş citadel and transferred to Istanbul Museum. The original find spot is not known. Unlike the Lion of Maraş, this one does not bear an inscription. It is made of basalt and is 1.28 meters long, 0.85 meters high, and 0.35 meters wide. The flat extension at its rear left suggests that the lion was on the left-hand side of a gateway. Although in that respect it pairs up with the Lion of Maraş, due to differences in their sizes it is unlikely that they were originally a pair. Nevertheless, stylistically they are very similar; thus, this portal lion too should date to the end of the 9th century BCE. It is currently on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.


Perrot and Chipiez, 1890 T. Bilgin, 2020 T. Bilgin, 2020


Literature:
Orthmann, W. Untersuchungen zur späthethitischen Kunst, Bonn, 1971. (Maras B/2)


Image sources:
G. Perot ve C. Chipiez. History of Art in Sardinia, Judaea, Syria, and Asia Minor, vol. 2. London, 1890.
Tayfun Bilgin, 2020.