<em>Ram and Lion</em>, 525–404 B.C.E. Limestone, 3 7/16 in. (8.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 53.174. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.53.174_wwg8.jpg)

Ram and Lion, 525–404 B.C.E. Limestone, 3 7/16 in. (8.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 53.174. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.53.174_wwg8.jpg)

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

This has been a favorite of mine for years. I always felt that it was the perfect representation of the lamb and lion of Christianity bridging the historic connection to ancient Egyptian culture and religion.

That's an interesting connection! I always thought of it from the ancient perspective instead. The lion was a symbol of kings and the ram was a symbol of fertility and the land. Lions and rams were both important animals in Egyptian and Persian belief systems.

Ah thanks for the enlightenment!

Of course! It's interesting to see how animals can symbolize different things, and sometimes similar things, in different areas!

Was most of Egypt not a desert in the ancient times? Don’t lions live in grasslands?

The climate of Egypt in pharonic times (beginning around 3000 to 2500 BCE) was relatively similar to the climate of Egypt today. At that time, there actually weren't that many lions in Egypt.

But about 10,000 years ago, the Sahara was not a desert, but a lush grassland full of hunter-gatherer groups. As the region dried out people settled into the Nile Valley and became more organized out of necessity.

During this organizational period, there were still lions in Egypt. They were revered and there is some evidence that some were even tamed. It was during this period that beliefs around lions and their association with the king was formed. The belief endured even after the lion territory shrank deeper into Africa.

Ram and Lion

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

MEDIUM Limestone

Place Made: Egypt

DATES 525–404 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 27

PERIOD First Persian Period

DIMENSIONS 3 7/16 in. (8.8 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 53.174

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view on the 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Ram and Lion, 525–404 B.C.E. Limestone, 3 7/16 in. (8.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 53.174. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.53.174_wwg8.jpg)

IMAGE installation, West Wing gallery 8 installation, CUR.53.174_wwg8.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Ah thanks for the enlightenment!

Of course! It's interesting to see how animals can symbolize different things, and sometimes similar things, in different areas!

Was most of Egypt not a desert in the ancient times? Don’t lions live in grasslands?

The climate of Egypt in pharonic times (beginning around 3000 to 2500 BCE) was relatively similar to the climate of Egypt today. At that time, there actually weren't that many lions in Egypt.