Lion gate: Did you mean...?

Medieval castles were built from the 11th century CE for rulers to demonstrate their wealth and power to the local populace, to provide a place of defence and safe retreat in the case of attack, defend strategically important sites like river...

A gate in the fortification walls of Butrint (modern Albania), 2nd century BCE. The lintel shows a lion devouring a bull carved in relief and was probably reused from an earlier 6th century BCE building. The gate was lowered in height in...

The inside steps descending to the 'lion gate' of Butrint, 2nd century BCE (modified 2nd century CE). The steep incline immediately after a fortification gate was an added defence to restrict access in case of attack.

The interior gate of the 25 BCE double Praetorian Gate of Aosta in northern Italy. The two gates stand 12 m apart and each has three arched entrances - one central gateway for wheeled vehicles and two smaller passages positioned either side...

The six-chambered gate at Tel Gezer in modern-day Israel. This Iron Age gate was once thought built by King Solomon, however recent scholarship has cast doubt on this idea, with some scientific evidence pointing to a later date of construction...

A Middle Bronze Age Canaanite gate at the site of Tel Gezer in modern-day Israel. This gate is believed to have been built—along with other fortifications—by the city's Canaanite inhabitants in the Middle Bronze Age II ca. 1850 BCE when the...

The Borsari Gate, Verona, 1st century CE. The gate is built from white Valpolicella stone and was the city's main gate in Roman times.

Frieze depicting a lion hunt, from the royal palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, modern-day Iraq. Neo-Assyrian Empire, 668-631 BCE. The king's role was to protect his people from enemies. In ancient Assyria, this was symbolized in the lion...

This terracotta lion was found at the entrance to the Dagan Temple at Tell Harmal (ancient Shaduppum), in the eastern outskirt of Baghdad. The temple was dedicated to Nisaba (goddess of the grain and writing) and her consort, Haja. The...

Colossal guardian lion found at the entrance to the temple of Ishtar, Sharrat-niphi. The cuneiform inscriptions on the statue mention the name of Ashurnasirpal II as the temple's builder. This lion was one of a pair of lions which were found...