page_title: History of lions in Europe
section_title: In culture
hierarchical_section_title: History of lions in Europe / In culture
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Der Löwenmensch aus der Stadel-Höhle im Hohlenstein, Lonetal
context_page_description: The history of lions in Europe is based on fossils of Pleistocene and Holocene lions excavated in Europe since the early 19th century.
  The first lion fossil was excavated in southern Germany and described by Georg August Goldfuss using the scientific name Felis spelaea, which probably dates to the Würm glaciation and is 191,000 to 57,000 years old.
  Older lion skull fragments were excavated in Germany and described by Wilhelm von Reichenau under Felis fossilis in 1906. These are estimated at between 621,000 and 533,000 years old.
  The modern lion inhabited parts of Southern Europe since the early Holocene. Its diet probably included aurochs, red deer, tarpan, wild boar and other herbivores.
  Historical literature, such as the Iliad of ancient Greece, features lion similes.
context_section_description: Lions feature in ancient Greek mythology and writings, including the myth of the Nemean lion, which was believed to be a supernatural lion that occupied the sacred town of Nemea in the Peloponnese. Homer mentioned lions 45 times in his poems, but this could have been due to his experience in Asia Minor.
  Phalaecus, a tyrant of Amvrakia (modern-day Arta), was allegedly killed by a female lion due to his holding a newborn lion cub, after finding it on a hunting expedition. Conon refers to the myth of how Olynthus city got its name, when during around the period of the Trojan War, son of Strymon, Olynthos during a lion hunt was killed by a lion. According to Herodotus lions occurred between Achelous river and Nestus, being plentiful between Akanthos and Thermi. When Xerxes advanced near Echedorus in 480 BC, the troops' camels were attacked by lions. Xenophon stated around 400 BC that lions were hunted around Mount Kissos, Pangaio, the Pindus mountains and elsewhere. Aristotle in the 4th century BC provided some data on lion distribution, behaviour, breeding and also anatomy. According to him, lions were more numerous in North Africa than in Europe; they had approached towns, and attacked people only if they were old, or had poor dental health. Pliny the Elder mentions that European lions were stronger compared to those from Syria and Africa. In the 2nd century AD, Pausanias referred to lion presence east of Nestus in Thrace, in the area of Abdera. He also referred to a story about Polydamas of Skotoussa, an Olympic winner in the 5th century BC, who allegedly used his bare hands to kill a lion on Thessalian part of Mount Olympus; and to one about Caranus of Macedon who according to the Macedonians, raised a trophy that was thrown down and destroyed by a lion that was rushing down from Mount Olympus.
  The Romans used Barbary lions from North Africa for lion-baiting, and lions from Greece for gladiatorial games.
caption: The Löwenmensch figurine found in Germany has been dated to the Upper Paleolithic during the Pleistocene, about 35,000 to 40,000 years ago
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