November
06
/ 2020
Some ancient artifacts travel from where they were first made to become symbols of other foreign lands. This is certainly the story of the Piraeus Lion. The Piraeus Lion is a marble lion displayed in Venice, specifically at the entrance of the Venetian Arsenal. As its name suggests, the statue was originally from Piraeus, the port of Athens. But it was looted during the 17th century and brought to Venice. Since the city’s patron saint is Saint Mark, whose symbol is a lion, it is not surprising that The Piraeus Lion was taken to Venice. The inscriptions on the lion’s body are another interesting aspect of the lion. These were recognized by scholars as Viking runes, long after the statue’s
