Lion of Kea facts for kids

Lion of Kea, 6th century BC

The Lion of Kea is the name of a gigantic archaic sculpture of a guardian lion, chiselled from a single block of local limestone. It was most likely done in the 6th century BC, when the island of Kea, Greece, was known as Cheos.

Lion of Kea on an etching from 19th century

Very little else is known about this 9 m long sculpture, which even today stands in situ near the village of Ioulida.

• Ida Haugsted: Dream and reality: Danish Antiquaries, Architects and Artists in Greece, London, 1996., p. 37
• Greek Islands (guide), Lonly Planet, 2018., s. v. Kea lion