Origin: Egypt
Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC
Collection: Egyptian
Style: New Kingdom
Medium: Faience
This delightful amulet depicts a figure of the recumbent lion. In ancient Egypt, the lion was symbolic of strength and was often associated with the king. A typical example of this can be seen when observing the sphinx, shown with a lion body and the head of a king. This symbolized the king and the sun god re at the same time. In the eighteenth dynasty (ca. 1550-1070 B.C.) lions were symbolic of the king's power. Kings, such as Amenhotep II and Amenhotep III, were said to have killed many lions for sport in lion hunts. Amenhotep III had large scarabs inscribed with texts describing his lion hunts. Sometimes the king was depicted with a lion lying besides his throne. This may have been symbolic, or perhaps the king actually had a pet lion. - (PF.4417)

Antiquities
Ancient Egyptian