Phrygian Influence on the Lion Iconography of the Altıntaş/Soa Funerary Stelae

This article compares the lion reliefs on five Roman Imperial Period grave steles found in the Altıntaş region of Kütahya with the Kybele lions found on some Phrygian rock monuments in the mountainous Phrygia region, and attempts to reveal the typological and iconographic similarities between the two. Lion reliefs are found on the Phrygian monuments known as Aslankaya, Aslantaş, and Yılantaş. The ancient city of Soa, believed to have been founded during the Roman Imperial Period, is located in Altıntaş Village, within the borders of Altıntaş district of Kütahya province today, and the grave steles produced in the marble quarries of this city constitute an important group. The lion figures located in arched niches on the pediments of the Altıntaş grave steles show similarities to the lions found on the right and left of the main goddess Kybele in the Phrygian rock monuments of the mountainous Phrygia region. Despite the time difference of centuries, it is observed that the stonemasons producing grave steles in the Altıntaş workshops were influenced by the Phrygian rock monuments in that region, taking these scenes and combining them with their own local style. The use of this scene reveals that the iconography of Kybele with lions, which holds an important place in the belief in the main goddess Kybele, continued to have an influence in the region for a long time. The article also refers to publications in the literature on the subject, bringing together information about lions used as protectors in tombs and some city coins, thus aiming to contribute to previous studies on the subject.