JERUSALEM, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A 1,800-year-old Roman marble faucet, shaped as a lion's face, was discovered in northern Israel, the Nature and Parks Authority (NPA) said Monday.
This fancy architectural relic was discovered near a bathhouse in the ancient village of Sepphoris by a citizen who visited the national park where the village's remains are located, according to the NPA.
The lion-decorated faucet, which also has human features, adorned a fountain in ancient times for the water to come out of the figure's mouth.
According to NPA's archaeologists, such faucets were common from the Hellenistic period through the Roman and Byzantine periods to the Middle Age.
Faucets of this type were usually designed with shapes of humans, animals or mythological figures and used for decorating bath facilities, nymphaions and fountains.
According to the NPA, the quality marble stone from which the faucet is made was probably imported from ancient Turkey. Enditem
