- Cramond Lioness
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Cramond Lioness
The Cramond lioness is a Roman-era sculpture recovered in 1997 from the mouth of the River Almond at Cramond, Edinburgh, Scotland.
It depicts a bound male prisoner being killed by a lioness. The upper torso and head of the prisoner are shown, with the giant lioness behind him, sinking her teeth into his skull.
The work is interpreted as a Roman sculpture imported to Scotland to serve as part of the tomb of a Roman military commander or dignitary, and connected to the nearby Cramond Roman Fort. The location of such a tomb, and how the sculpture reached its location in the river are unknown.[1]
The sculpture is presently housed at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. In 2003, plans were unveiled for the lioness to be housed in a new archaeological centre at the Roman Fort in Cramond,[2] although this proposal was still at the initial planning stage in 2008.[3]
References
- ^ "Cramond Ferry". CANMORE. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/canmore.newcandig_details_gis?inumlink=183719.
- ^ "Lion to take pride of place at Roman ruins". The Scotsman. 21 August 2003. http://heritage.scotsman.com/theromans/Lion-to-take-pride-of.2454848.jp. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ^ "Roman fort will be centrepiece of new tourist attraction". The Scotsman. 29 August 2008. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Roman-fort-will-be-centrepiece.4439316.jp. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
External links
- Cramond Lioness, National Museum of Scotland
- Cramond Roman Fort, AOC Archaeology
- Images of the front (showing prisoner clearly), and right side of the sculpture, DK Images
Categories:- 1997 in Scotland
- Collections of the National Museums of Scotland
- History of Edinburgh
- Archaeological sites in Edinburgh
- Scotland during the Roman Empire
- Outdoor sculptures in Scotland
- Roman Empire sculptures
- Roman Britain
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