Zwei Löwenkopfspeier eines Brunnens in der illyrischen Stadt bei Zgërdhesh (Albanien)

Abstract

Two lion heads were found in the area of the ancient settlement at Zgërdhesh. They probably formed the water spouts of a fountain and, despite their distinctive shape, can be dated to the 3ʳᵈ or first half of 2ⁿᵈ century B.C. This is the first evidence of a fountain in an Illyrian city, although there are no further traces of it on site. All in all, such an installation betrays the desire to equip the city with appropriate buildings in the sense of a Greek polis. The unusual design of the heads possibly goes back to models of archaic objects of art and could be understood as an attempt to create a local tradition retroactively. In contrast, a lion’s head gargoyle from Dyrrhachion is presented, which remains entirely in the Greek tradition.