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Striding Lion

625 BC - 539 BC
Clay
Babylon
90.3 cm x 230.5 cm x 12 cm
A7481

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Striding Lion

This striding lion, comprised of 97 glazed bricks, once decorated a section of the "Processional Way" in the ancient city of Babylon. The "Processional Way" led into the city through the Ishtar Gate, named in honor of the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war, whose symbol was the lion. Find the painting of the "View of the Ishtar Gate" and see if you can find lions like this one!

Multimedia

The Restoration of the Striding Lion
How was the Striding Lion from the ancient city of Babylon restored? In this video learn about the techniques that were used from Oriental Institute Museum conservator Laura D'Alessandro.

The Striding Lion Puzzle
Solve the puzzle by piecing the lion together!

Facts About the Striding Lion
Learn more about the Striding Lion from the ancient city of Babylon.

Web Links

Highlights from the collection of the Oriental Institute Museum; Striding Lion

Suggested Readings

Black, Jeremy and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992.

Saggs, H. F. W. The Greatness That Was Babylon. New York: Hawthorne Books, 1962.

Wolkstein, Diane, and Samuel Noah Kramer. Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer. New York: Harper & Row, 1983.

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