Outstanding Unfinished Ancient Marble Carving Of A Lion’s Head Found Near Selinunte, Sicily

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Archaeologists have discovered an outstanding unfinished ancient marble carving of a lion's head in Sicily.

During excavations led by Professor Dr. Jon Albers, archaeologists from the Ruhr University in Bochum made the spectacular find on a street in the immediate vicinity of the ancient eastern harbor of Selinunte, which was intended to drain off rainwater as a detail of a temple roof.

The find spot is directly on a street in the immediate vicinity of the ancient eastern port of Selinunte. © Selinunt project Ruhr University Bochum, Axel Miß

As previously discussed in Ancient Pages, "the lion has been a powerful ancient symbol for thousands of years. Ancient civilizations associated the lion with power and royalty, and we can find this majestic animal on prehistoric cave paintings, ancient Sumerian and Egyptian artifacts dating back to 3000 B.C., as well as several ancient monuments like the marvelous lion gates in Hattusha, the capital of the kingdom of the Hittites."

Scientists compare the lion carving in Sicily to a gargoyle. These types of creatures "appeared very early in Gothic architecture and were needed to eliminate corrosive rainwater from the foundations of churches. The first gargoyles in architecture are believed to be dated to about 1220. Paris was the first place where these ornamental figures were used."

According to Prof. Dr. Jon Albers and his team, the discovered gargoyle is 60 centimeters high and thus significantly larger than similar finds from the region. The material, which was rare and valuable in Western Greece, also makes it special. The lion's head is unusually well-preserved and still unfinished. "We cannot yet say whether it was intended for the well-known Temple E in Selinunte or for another, as yet unknown temple," Prof. Dr. Albers said.

There Are Only Nine Known Temples With Marble Lions

The lion's head is a so-called sima, i.e. the top end of the roof, behind which the rainwater collected and was then drained off. Gargoyles in the shape of lions' heads were used to divert the water.
"While this decoration was made of terracotta, particularly in the 6th century BC, the first Sima made of stone can be found especially in the 5th century BC," explains Prof. Dr. Albers.

Particularly well-known are the finds from the Temple of Heracles in Agrigento and the Temple of Victory in Himera, which stand at the beginning of this development and were made of high-quality local limestone. Both had the largest Sima of this type, with about 70 centimeters in height.

The significant new discovery was made by the head of the excavation, Prof. Dr. Jon Albers, along with the director of the Selinunte Archaeological Park, Dr. Felice Crescente, and the first director of the DAI Rome, Prof. Dr. Ortwin Dally, presented to the public on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
© Selinunt project Ruhr University Bochum, Marc Klauss/Leah Schiebel

The new find from Selinunte is also very high at around 60 centimeters and significantly larger than other Simas in the region. However, it was made of marble, a rare and valuable material in Western Greece.

"This marble was imported to Sicily from the Greek islands - probably from Paros," says Prof. Dr.  Albers. "All in all, only nine temples from the 5th century BC are known to have a sima made of Greek marble in all of southern Italy and Sicily." The roofs were mainly discovered in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

A New, Tenth Temple

"The newly found Sima from Selinunte cannot be compared to any of these temples and is, therefore, part of a tenth temple with such a marble roof," concludes Prof. Dr. Albers. The researchers cannot yet decide whether the object was once intended for the well-known Temple E in Selinunte or for another monumental temple that is still unknown today.

Gargoyle in Patio de la Casa de las Conchas, Salamanca, Spain. Credit: Joseolgon - CC BY-SA 3.0

However, the Sima was apparently not yet installed because it has not yet been finished. Although the block is much better preserved than other roofs with lion's head spears, the characteristic water outlet was not yet incorporated. The rear lion's mane is also missing, and the decoration at the top of the plate is not yet finished.

See also: More Archaeology News

"Through this condition, the find allows us to better understand the manufacturing processes for such architectural parts,” says the archaeologist happily.

"Since the find comes from the port zone and the immediate vicinity of the workshop district of Selinunte, it allows further conclusions to be drawn about the city's trade contacts and the technical skills of the ancient inhabitants of Selinunte."

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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