Relief, lion biting the backside of a bull

European Museums, The British Museum

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Lion biting the backside of a bull relif

This scene is repeated on this staircase and on other reliefs at Persepolis. It may represent a contest between the forces of Good and Evil, with the bull representing the evil spirit Ahriman and the lion the god Ahura Mazda of the Zorastrian religion. Others have interpreted it as the triumph of the king over his rebels, or as having astrological significance.

Nineteenth-century plaster cast taken from sculptures on the Palace of Darius at Persepolis, Iran.

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Lion biting the backside of a bull relif

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Source:  London, United Kingdom