In 2018, a salvage excavation at the ancient Roman-period site of Khirbat Ibreika in southern Israel resulted in the recovery of a true archaeological enigma. This was four striking bronze discs that featured reliefs of lion heads, each of which was adorned with a heavy ring. Found inside a sealed tomb—designated Tomb T6—these striking artifacts were neatly stacked together in one corner, separated from other grave goods that included twelve glass vessels and an iron nail. The context and craftsmanship of the lion-head discs quickly attracted scholarly attention. Dating to the first or second century AD, the artifacts were considered quite puzzling: were they only decorative pieces or once-functional handles for a wooden coffin, or did they hold a deeper
