Prized Lion of Babylon joins list of crumbling Iraqi antiquities
The ancient Lion of Babylon, Iraq’s national symbol, is critically threatened by erosion and neglect.
BABYLON, Iraq — The statue of the Lion of Babylon stands in the ancient city of Babylon, south of Baghdad, founded in 1880 B.C.
The statue was uncovered in 1876 by a German archaeological mission. Some initially suggested that the statue, more than 4,000 years old, was built by the Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 B.C.), though others now believe it was a Hittite creation.
