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Mosaic of Lion Attacking Onager
North African (Sousse, Hadrumetum, Tunisia)
Not on view
Lions are a recurrent theme in mosaics, rock crystal figures, and terracotta tiles attributed to North African artisans between the second and seventh centuries. The image of a lion attacking a horselike animal frequently represents the triumph of political authority. Here, an African lion tears into an onager, a wild animal found mostly in western and central Asia. This scene is a small portion of the floor that decorated a villa in Hadrumetum, one of the most important cities in Roman Africa.