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Archaeologists discover ancient stone lion head in Sicily (photo)

Anastasia Kryshchuk

Archaeologists discover ancient stone lion head in Sicily (photo)
In Sicily, archaeologists discovered an ancient stone lion's head

In Sicily, archaeologists have discovered a lion's head made of precious marble in perfect condition. This is an ancient sima, the upper part of a temple roof, found in Selinunte.

The archaeological find is about 62 centimeters high and weighs more than 250 kilograms. It is reported by Italy 24 Press News.

It is noted that earlier in the Temple of Hercules in Agrigento and the Temple of Victory in Himera, several very large decorations, approximately 70 centimeters in height, made of high-quality local limestone, were found.

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This lion, however, is more precious given its craftsmanship in marble imported from the Greek islands, possibly from Paros.

An extremely rare material, considering that in the 4th century BC these jewelry were made of terracotta and later of stone. The sima had a dual function: to decorate the temple and to collect rainwater, which was then discharged through the spouts in the shape of a lion's head.

In Italy, archaeologists found a stone head of a lion. Source: Italy 24 Press News
In Italy, archaeologists found a stone head of a lion. Source: Italy 24 Press News

As a reminder, a 3000-year-old priest's tomb was discovered in Peru.

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