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August 13th, 2021 | #1 |
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Ancient Roman key depicts lion devouring barbarian
Ancient Roman key depicts lion devouring barbarian Aug 12, 2021 Archaeologists in the United Kingdom have discovered an ancient Roman key handle that depicts a grisly scene — a lion devouring a shaggy-haired barbarian, while four spooked cupid-like youths look on, likely awaiting the same fate, a new study reports. The macabre bronze handle may have mirrored a real-life event, meaning it was likely “created to mark a significant occasion, an episode in which captives [were] killed in the arena by lions,” study first author John Pearce, a senior lecturer of archaeology at King’s College London, told Live Science in an email. The expertly crafted figurine depicted on the handle is “best interpreted as a scene of damnatio ad bestias,” a Latin phrase that describes the “killing of captives and criminals as punishment and spectacle,” the researchers wrote in the study. https://www.livescience.com/roman-ke...barbarian.html |
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