Figure of crouching lion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This is a small crouching ivory lion. The lion has large round eyes, triangular ears and an open mouth. Its shoulders and hindquarters are rounded. A large section of the right hindquarter is now missing, and the entire left side of the lion is quite worn. The lion rests on a flat base with two holes. Presumably it was originally attached to something, but it is impossible to say what at this point. Possibly it was the handle for an ivory container of some kind. This lion was excavated at Surkh Dum, a settlement site in Luristan in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. It was part of a large hoard of objects buried beneath a doorjamb in a structure interpreted as a sanctuary; thus the objects were probably offerings made for a god. Lions were native to Iran until the 20th century A.D. As a result they appear frequently in ancient Iranian art, as symbols of strength, kingship or the raw power of the natural world. Given how little is known of the Iron Age inhabitants of Luristan it is difficult to say what significance this lion had for them.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art cares for approximately 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam in the seventh century A.D. Objects in the collection were created by people in the area that today comprises Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Yemen, and Central Asia. From the art of some of the world's first cities to that of great empires, the department's holdings illustrate the beauty and craftsmanship as well as the profound interconnections, cultural and religious diversity, and lasting legacies that characterize the ancient art of this vast region.

Metropolitan Museum of Art