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On a slope outside Ioulida, the Lion of Kea has watched over the Cycladic island for about 2,600 years, yet this colossal archaic sculpture remains one of Greek art\u2019s least-studied mysteries.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Lion is carved straight from a natural outcrop of grey schist rock, not set on a base. It lies about eight metres long and three metres high, according to Ancient World Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n A sign at the site calls it one of the oldest works of Greek monumental sculpture and dates it to about 600 BC. Some local guides place it more broadly in the 7th or 6th century BC.<\/p>\n The beast lies curled on its rocky bed, with its tail wrapped around its body. Its head, however, is raised and turned towards the viewer.<\/p>\n Read more: 1,800-year-old statue of Greek god Asclepius discovered at ancient Greco-Roman city of Aspendos<\/p>\n Visitors often notice its faint smile first. That expression recalls the so-called \u201cArchaic smile\u201d seen on Greek statues of the 6th century BC, which is one reason scholars favour an early date.<\/p>\n Even so, centuries of wind and rain have softened the stone of the Lion of Kea. For this reason, some archaeologists caution that erosion may have changed the original expression.<\/p>\n Today the Lion of Kea is the island\u2019s best-known symbol. Locals simply call it \u201cLiontas\u201d, and a short footpath from the Agios Spyridon area of Ioulida leads walkers straight to it. The same trail then continues down towards Otzias Bay on the north coast.<\/p>\n Kea itself, also known as Tzia and in antiquity as Keos, is the closest of the Cyclades to Athens. In ancient times the island<\/a> held four city-states, and Ioulis, beneath today\u2019s Chora, was the most important.<\/p>\n Island tradition ties the Lion to a famous local legend. Long ago, the story goes, Kea was called Hydroussa, \u201cthe watery one\u201d, because springs and forests covered it.<\/p>\n Water nymphs lived in those woods until a fierce lion appeared and chased them away. After that, the gods sent a terrible drought that dried out Kea and the wider Cyclades.<\/p>\n Eventually, the demigod Aristaeus, a son of Apollo and the nymph Cyrene, arrived from Thessaly to save the island. He calmed the gods, and the cooling summer meltemi winds began to blow.<\/p>\n For many islanders, the Lion of Kea recalls that tale. Still, no ancient evidence proves that the sculptor meant to show the lion of the myth.<\/p>\n Strangely, the Lion of Kea barely appears in histories of Greek art. Writing in Ancient World Magazine, historian Matthew Lloyd described finding almost no further information about it after a visit in 2013.<\/p>\n Its purpose is unclear. The Lion of Kea may have guarded a sanctuary, marked a grave or watched over the city, but the evidence cannot yet settle the question.<\/p>\n Part of the problem is location. Ancient Ioulis lies largely under the modern town, so archaeologists have excavated only small parts of it. As a result, nobody knows exactly how the Lion of Kea fitted into the ancient city.<\/p>\n Travellers have described the statue since the early 19th century. The Danish scholar Peter Oluf Br\u00f8ndsted, for instance, published a drawing of the Lion<\/a> in 1826.<\/p>\nA giant carved from the hillside<\/h3>\n
The myth of the nymphs and the drought<\/h3>\n
Why scholars still call it an enigma<\/h3>\n