Assyrian human bearded winged lion.

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Assyrian human bearded winged lion from Ashurbanipal's palace at Nimrud, BC. This protective spirit guarded the entrance into what may have been a banquet hall. If one looks at one of these monsters from the side, one sees that it has four legs, striding purposefully forward. If one moves head-on from the front, it has two front legs at rest. Both views in isolation look logical, however when viewed at a three-quarter viewpoint with all legs visible, the animal has not four but five legs. British Museum

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Size: 4952px × 7039px
Location:
Photo credit: © DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: age, ancient, animal, ashurbanipal, assyria, assyrian, bearded, bronze, carving, conflict, east, eastern, empire, entrance, fauna, gate, guardian, hybrid, iraq, lion, middle, monster, myth, mythical, nimrud, sculpture, spirit, syria, wildlife, wing, winged