Lion

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A male lion in Egypt

The lion is a felid in the genus Panthera distinguished by the great manes of its males. It was historically endemic throughout Africa and the western half of Asia, favoring savannahs and grasslands but not deserts and dense forests.

History

12th century BCE

During the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt, lions were so prized by pharaohs for their sacred power, that they were almost hunted to extinction.

5th century BCE

A lioness in Greece

During the Peloponnesian War, in Greece lions inhabited various regions, and were hunted. The spoils of the hunts were valuable: lion fangs were valued at 40 drachmae apiece, their claws at 14 drachmae apiece, and their manes at 38 drachmae apiece.

Of special note among lions in Greece was the Nemean Lion, who was slain by the hero Herakles as part of his famous labours. Afterwards, Herakles wore the beast's skin until it became as much a part of him as his club.

An incarnation of the Nemean Lion haunted the Sinkholes of Herakles in Argolis during the Peloponnesian War. Daphnae, the acting leader of the Daughters of Artemis, tasked the Spartan misthios Kassandra to hunt it down. Kassandra did so, bringing the lion's pelt to Daphnae.

Mount Athos within the Triple Peninsula of Chalkidike in Makedonia was also haunted by a legendary lion of its own.

1st century BCE

During the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, lion claws were popular among commoners as pendants, valued at 35 drachmae each in the mid 1st century BCE.

The lions were also revered, and their likenesses were worshipped, especially in the form of the goddess of war, Sekhmet. This worship led a group of bandits around Sapi-Res Nome to name themselves Disciples of the Lioness, working alongside their revered lionesses.

Behind the scenes

In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, the mural featuring a lion hunt i is based on a Lucanian tomb painting from the 3rd century BCE.

Gallery

• 
  A mural of a lion hunt
• 
  A white alpha lion in ancient Greece
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  The Nemean Lion in Argolis
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  The Makedonian Lion

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Origins (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey