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Dick Osseman | all galleries >> Antakya Turkey >> Antakya Archaeological Museum >> Non-mosaics >> Hittite objects > Antakya Archaeological Museum Pillar base with winged bull and sphinx sept 2019 5819.jpg
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25-Sep-2019 DICK OSSEMAN

Antakya Archaeological Museum Pillar base with winged bull and sphinx sept 2019 5819.jpg

Basalt, 9th century BC. A winged bull was a “Lamassu”, it and a spinx were typical Syro-Mesopotamian symbols of power and royalty. They would have possessed inlaid eyes, and its flattened surface suggests it would have stood against the interior of a doorway, to protect against evil spirits. Found in a pit adjacent to the statue of King Shupiluliuma.

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