Crouching Lion

A badly damages unfinished Lion in basalt.  Such finished statues guarded the entrances to palaces and temples.

For a completed lion statue that was found in an eighth century palace at Zincirli see Here.  Or from Hazor in Israel Here.

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The Archaeological Park of Yesemek covers an area of approximately 25 acres.  It the largest known stonemasonry workshop in the ancient Near East.  Over 300 partially finished blocks are scattered over the site that is today an archaeological park.