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Sam'al Lions

The Sam'al lions are four animal statues in the form of lions from Sam'al, the modern site of Zincirli, dated to around the 10th to 8th century BCE. They likely belonged to the inner castle gate on the east side, though they were found in secondary context. Two of the lions are dated to the 10th century BCE and two to the 8th century BCE; the later figures were reworked from earlier ones and are more fully modeled. Made of dolerite, the sculptures served both as decorative elements and as part of the structure. Three are originals and one is a plaster cast. They are now displayed in the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin, Pergamon Museum, in Hall 2.

Weathered stone Sam\'al lion sculpture with an open mouth and carved mane
A weathered Sam\'al lion sculpture with a roaring mouth and patterned mane on display in the Pergamon Museum.
June 2016 © · CC BY 2.0
Two Sam\'al lion sculptures in stone displayed indoors on dark bases with a white railing in front.
Sam\'al lions displayed at the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Two ancient stone lion sculptures, one shown frontally with an open mouth and the other in profile.
Sam\'al lions, shown here as two ancient stone carvings with one front-facing lion and another in profile.
1983 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Four Sam\'al lion sculptures displayed on pedestals in a museum gallery.
The Sam\'al lions on display in a museum gallery.
October 2023 © Woleonard · CC BY 4.0
Stone lion sculptures at the Sam\'al archaeological site, standing among excavated earth and sparse vegetation.
The Sam\'al lions shown in an excavated archaeological setting, with several stone lion sculptures visible among the earth.
September 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleSam'al lions
Alternative nameGate lions from Sam'al
TypeFour lion statues
SubjectLions

Historical context

DateGenerally dated to the 10th to 8th century BC; current scholarship assigns the outer lions to the 10th century BC and the inner lions to the 8th century BC

Creator

ReworkingThe later lions were created by reworking older statues

Discovery and provenance

Original locationSam'al (today Zincirli), probably the inner part of the east gate / inner castle gate on the east side
Discovery contextFound in a secondary deposit during the Orient Committee excavations of 1890/91
AcquisitionBrought to Berlin as partage after excavation

Physical characteristics

DimensionsHeight 1.9 m; length 2.9–3.05 m; width 0.85–0.9 m
ConditionThree of the lions are originals and one is a plaster cast
Number of sculptures4

Materials

MaterialDolerite

Technique

Relief treatmentThe sides are only shallowly relief-carved

Appearance

ArrangementThe two statues stand almost at right angles to each other
Stylistic featuresThe later lions are more strongly worked out from the wall, with more elaborate manes and limbs, wider-open mouths, and a more threatening gesture
Stylistic differencesAll four lions differ in details
Spatial relation to wallThe later lions are more detached from the wall than the older ones

Function

Structural roleThey served as orthostats and had both decorative and structural functions

Location and ownership

Current locationVorderasiatisches Museum Berlin (Pergamon Museum), Hall 2, Syria and Asia Minor section, Berlin, Germany
Associated worksTwo additional related lion figures are in the Museum of the Ancient Orient, Istanbul
Museum contextDisplayed as part of the ensemble of the gate of Sam'al; located at the opposite end of the processional way of Babylon from the Ishtar Gate

Other

Inventory numbersVAG 1042, VA 2719, VA 2718, VA 3001