Ishtar Lion - London, England, UK
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 51° 31.131 W 000° 07.573
30U E 699376 N 5711441
This lion served as a guardian at the Temple of Ishtar in Assyria.
Waymark Code: WMDH28
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/15/2012
Views: 5
This lion is located in the British Museum which does not charge an admission fee...and does permit non-flash photography.
The Museum's website (
visit link) informs us:
"From Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Iraq
Neo-Assyrian, about 883-859 BC
Guardian figure from the entrance to the Temple
of Ishtar
This gigantic standing lion, roaring angrily, formed one of a pair carved half in the round which once flanked the entrance of a small temple dedicated to the goddess Ishtar, adjoining the palace of King Ashurnasirpal II (reigned 883-859 BC). The temple was excavated by Henry Layard in 1849.
The placing of figures of lions beside the doors of temples or the gates of cities was an ancient custom in Mesopotamia. Actual lions were common in the region and survived there until the nineteenth century.
The fifth leg is an artistic convention to enable the figure to be seen either from the side, walking, or from the front, standing. Compare this with the colossal statue of a winged human-headed bull from the palace of Ashurnasirpal II, also in the British Museum.
The lion is covered with a dedication in cuneiform, consisting of a prayer by Ashurnasirpal to a version of Ishtar called Sharrat-niphi, followed by a record of some of his achievements. Ishtar was one of the most important deities of Assyria. Here main cult centres were at Nineveh and Arbela. The lioness was her symbol as the goddess of fertility and warfare."