Blog #5

The Lion Gate interested me the most in this weeks reading because it relates to today's description of a border. Every country has their own border in which they allow/disallow people to enter with some sort of proof that they are from that country or they have a permission to enter. The Lion Gate of Mycenae is known for the lions with their feet on the Mycenaean altars. "Some scholars suggest that by extension it becomes the symbol of a king or a deity ( just as we say the "White House" when we mean the government of the United States) and that with its combination of the guardian beasts and divine or royal palace, serves to legitimize the power of the ruler (Stockstad 100)." I believe that the Lion Gate served the same purpose of a border, known today because it surrounded an area to be safe from outsiders. I believe lions were used at the time for protection because they are known as the beast of the jungle. I believe that the lions symbolize strength of what is behind the gate to scare off any predators.