The Bear of Porcuna is a sculpture dated from the 1st century BC depicting a bear or a lioness leaning on a herma. It is exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, Spain.
Bear of Porcuna | |
---|---|
Spanish: Osa de Porcuna | |
![]() | |
Year | circa late 1st century BC |
Medium | Limestone |
Dimensions | (79 x 70 x 32) cm |
Location | National Archaeological Museum, Madrid, Spain |
The artifact was found in 1926 in Porcuna—the Roman Obulco—, most specifically in the calle del Sepulcro, during the building works of an oil mill.[1][2]
The animal (a bear or a lioness)[1] is depicted resting on its hindquarters.[3] The animal is leaning its front left leg on a herma, featuring a beardless male head.[1][3] The presence of the herma in the composition strongly suggests a Roman-era dating.[4] Regarding the Roman hypothesis, there are tentative datings from either the time of Augustus or somewhat later in the Julio-Claudian dynasty.[5]
It unmistakably served a funerary purpose.[1]