WHA-S-000WHA-18JN Colossal Guardian Lion. Assyrian, about 865-860 BC. From Nimrud, Temple of Ishtar, Sharratniphi.This 15 tonne lion symbolized Ishtar, the Assyrian goddess of warm and guarded the entrance to her temple. The cuneiform inscription gives the name of the temple's builder, Ashurnasirpal II (882-859 BC).The lion is one of a par excavated by Austen Henry Layard in 1850. A Second fragmentary pair was found by Iraqi Archaeologists in 2001 Credit: World History Archive/Alinari Archives Permission and Restrictions: Editorial Use Only WARNING: Permission must be required for non editorial use. Please contact Alinari Archives Photographer: World History Archive Collection: World History Archive/Alinari Archives Object type: digital image Photographic technique: P digital image Technical info Image sizes (pixel): 4000 X 5038 Image sizes (cm at 300 dpi): 33 X 42 Image sizes (MB): 3.48 Color space: RGB