Jump to content

Lion of Kea

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
File:Lion of Kea.JPG
Lion of Kea, 6th century BC

The Lion of Kea is the name of a gigantic archaic sculpture of a guardian lion, chiselled from a single block of local limestone. It was most likely done in the 6th century BC, when the island of Kea, Greece, was known as Cheos.

File:Lion Kea.jpg
Lion of Kea on an etching from 19th century

Very little else is known about this 9 m long sculpture, which even today stands in situ near the village of Ioulida.

Bibliography[change]

  • Ida Haugsted: Dream and reality: Danish Antiquaries, Architects and Artists in Greece, London, 1996., p. 37
  • Greek Islands (guide), Lonly Planet, 2018., s. v. Kea lion