Research Article

A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna

Volume: 13 June 24, 2025
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A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna

Abstract

The Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna had been used from the late 1st century BCE until the Smyrna earthquake of 177 CE. The building collapsed after the earthquake, its constructional components were repurposed to rubble stones and used in a new bouleuterion. The subject of this article, the lion feet reliefs were found in the new bouleuterion, were reused as spolia in cavea. They were found during 2009-2014 excavation seasons. This article analyzes a total of 12 reliefs whose stylistic features could be clearly identified. The findings were categorized into two groups based on an evaluation of their plastic details. The aim of this article is to identify fragments of these architectural plastic building elements and compare their stylistic characteristics with similar examples from Hellenistic and Roman buildings in Western Anatolia. In addition, the study included iconographic evaluations regarding the presence of lion foot reliefs in communal structures such as theaters and bouleuterions. Finally, opinions and suggestions on which predatory animal or mythological creature these may belong to and for what purpose they may have been made are discussed.

Keywords

Thanks

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Akın Ersoy, the head of the Smyrna Ancient City excavations, for granting me the opportunity to study the material presented in this article.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Classical Period Archeology, Greek and Roman Period Archeology

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 24, 2025

Submission Date

December 4, 2024

Acceptance Date

April 25, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 13

APA
Göncü, H. (2025). A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna. Cedrus, 13, 83-96. https://doi.org/10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.05
AMA
1.Göncü H. A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna. Cedrus. 2025;13:83-96. doi:10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.05
Chicago
Göncü, Hakan. 2025. “A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna”. Cedrus 13 (June): 83-96. https://doi.org/10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.05.
EndNote
Göncü H (June 1, 2025) A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna. Cedrus 13 83–96.
IEEE
[1]H. Göncü, “A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna”, Cedrus, vol. 13, pp. 83–96, June 2025, doi: 10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.05.
ISNAD
Göncü, Hakan. “A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna”. Cedrus 13 (June 1, 2025): 83-96. https://doi.org/10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.05.
JAMA
1.Göncü H. A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna. Cedrus. 2025;13:83–96.
MLA
Göncü, Hakan. “A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna”. Cedrus, vol. 13, June 2025, pp. 83-96, doi:10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.05.
Vancouver
1.Hakan Göncü. A Plastic and Iconographic Study of the Lion Foot Reliefs on the Seats of the Early Roman Imperial Bouleuterion of Smyrna. Cedrus. 2025 Jun. 1;13:83-96. doi:10.13113/CEDRUS.2025.05

Our journal has decided to continue its publication under the Continuous Publication Model as of January 1, 2026. A maximum of 15 articles will be published in the relevant annual volume. As of October 2024, Cedrus accepts articles only in foreign languages.