Sheila in Moonducks
Lion's Gate Mycenae
The twin lions shown here flanking a pillar were positioned above the main entrance to the citadel of Mycenae. The gate was about 10 feet wide and 10 feet high; the carved stone with the lions is about three feet high. It forms what is called a "relieving triangle", because the carved slab weighs much less than the stones to the right and left; this reduced pressure on the lintel block below it. That block weighs two tons or so. The door was made up of two wooden leaves opening inward.
The lions originally had heads made of metal, but they have long since disappeared. The column the two lions stand beside perhaps represented the god of the royal house; the lions served to guard the entrance
Lion's Gate Mycenae
The twin lions shown here flanking a pillar were positioned above the main entrance to the citadel of Mycenae. The gate was about 10 feet wide and 10 feet high; the carved stone with the lions is about three feet high. It forms what is called a "relieving triangle", because the carved slab weighs much less than the stones to the right and left; this reduced pressure on the lintel block below it. That block weighs two tons or so. The door was made up of two wooden leaves opening inward.
The lions originally had heads made of metal, but they have long since disappeared. The column the two lions stand beside perhaps represented the god of the royal house; the lions served to guard the entrance