Magia ornamentu / Galeria / Lion-shaped bead

Lion-shaped bead
Chronology:
Roman period, ca. 2nd-4th c. AD
Location:
Strzyżów, Lubelskie, Poland; inhumation grave
Dimensions:
2.4 cm (length), 1.2 cm (height)
National Museum in Lublin

A zoomorphic bead made of Egyptian faience; greenish, non-transparent, with a matte surface. It shows a resting lion on a rectangular base. The lion’s mouth is open. It has a large nose and bulging eyes. The head rests between the paws; the tail rolled over the back. The image of a lion in ancient culture often symbolized might and authority. Most certainly, the bead, probably part of a necklace, is an import from the Black Sea area. It reached the eastern Lublin region through contacts with the Chernyakhov culture (Goths) and the Sarmatians.