[1] Its discovery was first documented in 1817 by Claudius Rich, although it may have been seen as early as 1790 by Joseph de Beauchamp.

[6] This interpretation is supported by the back of the lion, which contains a carved depression where it is believed that a saddle was originally placed, on which a figure of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, love, and war,[7] may have sat or stood.

[10] In 2013, the World Monuments Fund worked with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities to make improvements to the site.

The Lion was cleaned and partially restored, the base of the statue was replaced, and a security barrier was added.

The statue is considered among the most important symbols of Babylon in particular and Mesopotamian art in general.