Archaeologists found a lion head during excavations in the Sicily region, Italy. The marble artifact has characteristics from the 7th century BC. W. and is part of Selinunte, an ancient Greek city.
Located on the southwest coast of the island, the city of Selinunte was a prosperous Greek civilization that occupied part of present-day Italy.
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Due to the historical value of the region, it is one of the largest archaeological sites in the world. Europe. Therefore, archaeologists from Ruhr University (Germany) were researching the site when they found the rich artifact.
The team led by Professor Jon Albers believes the lion's head was more than a decorative element.
According to analysis, the artifact was identified as a Sima-type gargoyle from the 7th century BC. W. The item was probably part of the temple's water drainage system.
Thucydides, a historian who lived during Ancient Greece, said that the city of Selinunte was created by the colony Megara Hyblaea, a Sicilian city.
Likewise, other historical data indicate that the city had around 30 thousand inhabitants before its extinction.
(Image: RUB/Axel Miß/Reproduction)
Ancient Greek marble lion head
About 60 centimeters tall, the gargoyle was found in the city's port region. You archaeologists They reported that it has unfinished features, especially where the mane would be, the water outlet and the decoration on the top of the marble slab.
Even so, the discovery impressed researchers because it was considerably larger than other items already discovered in Sicily's archaeological park.
(Image: RUB, Marc Klauss/Leah Schiebel/Reproduction)
The initial suggestion is that the piece integrates the city's “temple E”, but data collection is still being carried out to validate the information.
“We cannot yet say whether it was destined for the well-known Temple E in Selinunte or another still unknown temple,” commented Jon Albers to the university publication.
For the area of archaeological studies, this find is essential to continue revealing the architectural processes of the time and the formation of historic cities.
“Since the discovery comes from the port area and the vicinity of the Selinunte workshop district, it allows new conclusions about the city’s commercial contacts and the technical skills of the former inhabitants of Selinunte”, points out the archaeologist.