Massive Lion Statues Unearthed

By tony leather, 29th Jul 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/2lxigils/
Posted in Wikinut>News>Environment

These stunning works of art were created by the Hittites - controllers of a vast empire during a time-period when Asiatic lions roamed freely in the area.

Massive Lion Statues Unearthed

Lion statues

Two five-ton, life-size sculptures of lions have been unearthed in modern day Turkey - archaeologists puzzled regarding their purpose, thinking that the sculptures - fashioned between 1400 and 1200 B.C. - were possibly intended to represent part of a sacred water spring monument..

These stunning works of art were created by the Hittites - controllers of a vast empire during a time-period when Asiatic lions roamed freely in the area - the beasts depicted prowling forward, heads slightly lowered, though the two sculptures are somewhat different, obviously carved by different sculptors.

The village of Karakiz sculpture is especially lifelike, rippling musculature, tail curving around the back of the granite boulder into which it is carved. Archaeological records tell of now-extinct Asiatic lions being common in Hittite society, some even being kept in pits.

The story began back in 2001, when authorities in Turkey were alerted, by a man from Karakiz village, to the existence of the ancient quarry, and extensive searches of the area were undertaken from spring 2002 onwards, though looters beat the archaeologists to the finding of the so-called Karakiz lion - found dynamited in two, likely split to look for t hidden treasure. A second lion, also split, was also found.
New looting dangers surfaced during the 2008 summer at the ancient quarry, damage done to an ancient, drum-shaped rock that was obviously in the process of being carved, in antiquity. Other finds from the quarry, such as a large - 7ft - stone basin left the archaeologists with the mystery of what such things were meant for, since a search of the surrounding area revealed no evidence of a Hittite settlement dating back to the time of the statues.

Sheer size meant clearly that the sculptors did not intend to move them very far, in all likelihood, so it seems apparent that, rather than being meant for buildings, these huge artworks were meant as monuments to water, associated with one of the very copious springs that are evident in the area.

Hittites traditionally placed sculptural tributes near water sources - like
the well-known monument of Eflatun P?nar, near a sacred pool in ancient Anatolia. Hittite cuneiform texts reveal they regarded water as an effective purifying element, used during ritual performances, making natural springs places of great religious importance to the Hittites, even to the extent of water sources being sacred, just like mountains.

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Meet the author

tony leather
mainly non-fiction articles, though I do write short stories, poetry and descriptive prose as well. Have been writing for over ten years now