A doric-ionic capital with lizard from Histria
A doric-ionic capital with lizard from Histria

Summary/Abstract: Discovered in 2007 in the Extra Muros Poarta Mare - Turnul Mare sector in Histria, a Doric-Ionic capital stands out, in addition to its typological peculiarity, for the use of a cushion, the decoration of the canalis and the cushion, but also for the carving of a lizard on the balteus. Although the sculptural processing of the capital is less rigorous, the rich decoration of the channel and the cushion could be a Roman interpretation of the image of more particular Ionic capitals found in the nearby area of the western Black Sea coast at the end of the Hellenistic and beginning of the Roman era. The particular way of placing the reptile, on the upper part of the balteus, in an area inaccessible to the viewer, could suggest a protective symbol of the dwelling, placed in areas where these creatures hide, like those described by Pliny, above the cornices of doors and windows.

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