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Lion hunting

Lion hunting is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lion hunting rather than just read about it. In short: Lion hunting is the act of hunting lions. Lions have been hunted since antiquity.

Lion hunting — main illustration
Lion hunting — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Lion hunting belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Lion hunting to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Lion hunting from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lion hunting is the act of hunting lions. Lions have been hunted since antiquity.

History

Ancient Egypt In Ancient Egypt, lion hunts were usually reserved for pharaohs. These hunts nearly resulted in the extinction of the local lion population by 1100 BC. Commemorative inscriptions state that, in the first 10 years of his reign, pharaoh Amenophis III allegedly killed more than 100 lions.

Assyria In ancient Assyria, lion hunting was a ritualized activity reserved for kings. These hunts were symbolic of the ruling monarch's duty to protect and fight for his people. The Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal, a sequence of Assyrian palace reliefs from the North Palace at Nineveh dating from about 645 BC in the British Museum in London show King Ashurbanipal hunting lions. In fact the "royal lion hunt", was the staged and ritualized killing by the king of lions already captured and released into an arena. The realism of the lions has always been praised, although the pathos modern viewers tend to feel was perhaps not part of the Assyrian response. The Assyrian kings hunted lions for political and religious purposes, to demonstrate their power. To get the lion out of his cage and onto the Syrian plains, a servant would raise a door and start running. Then the lion would get beaten by dogs and beaters, so that the lion would go to the king. The king would kill the lion from a chariot with his bow and arrow or spear. Sometimes the king would kill it on foot with a sword. He would do this by holding it by the mane and then thrusting the sword into the lion's throat. Then, when the lion was killed, the king would pour a liquid over it and give a speech to the city's god to thank him, so the lion's evil spirit wouldn't come back and haunt him. Expert spearmen and archers would protect the king. Sometimes the king would invite some nobles to accompany him.

Caucasus

Before the end of the 10th century, Asiatic lions were hunted by 'Shirvanshakhs' in South Caucasia.

Greece

Lions were present in the Greek peninsula until classical times; the prestige of lion hunting was shown in Heracles' first labour, the killing of the Nemean lion, and lions were depicted as prominent symbols of royalty, as for example in the Lion Gate to the citadel of Mycenae.

Republic of South Africa The first South African legislation on the killing of predators was established in 1656. Six realen were awarded to those who shot or captured lions. In the 1890s, over 4000 lions were killed both inside and outside Kruger National Park in an effort to boost game populations. Between 1903 and 1927, no fewer than 1,272 lions were killed by park personnel.

Maasai lion hunting The Maasai people have traditionally viewed the killing of lions as a rite of passage. Historically, lion hunts were done by individuals, however, due to reduced lion populations, lion hunts done solo are discouraged by elders. Most hunts are now partaken by groups of 10 warriors. Group hunting, known in Maasai as olamayio, gives the lion population a chance to grow. However, in Kenya, where this practice is illegal, olamayio may be used as a reason for retaliatory killing against lions suspected of killing livestock. Maasai customary laws prohibit killing a sick or infirm lion. The killing of lionesses is also prohibited unless provoked. At the end of each age-set, usually after a decade, the warriors count all of their lion kills to compare them with those hunted by the former age-set in order to measure accomplishment.

Group hunting

Empikas (warrior delegation) plan a lion hunt in advance in secret. Only the warriors are permitted to know about the day of the hunt. The secret is considered so important that Ilbarnot (young warriors) from the same age-set are denied information regarding the hunt, due to the older warriors fearing discovery from anti-hunt groups. If a warrior is found guilty of spreading rumours, he is punished through beating. In addition, the guilty warrior will be looked down upon throughout his entire age group's cycle.

Solo hunting Solo lion hunting requires confidence and advanced hunting skills, requiring a dedicated warrior. Unlike group hunting, solo lion hunting is usually not an organised event, sometimes occurring when a warrior is out herding cattle.

The journey The lion hunt starts at dawn, when elders and women are still asleep. The warriors meet discreetly at a nearby landmark where they depart to predetermined areas. Before departing, the Ilmorijo (older warriors) filter out the group in order that only the bravest and strongest warriors take part. The resulting group is known as Ilmeluaya (fearless warriors). The rejected young warriors are commanded by older warriors to keep the information of the hunt confidential, until the return of their favoured colleagues. There have been cases whereby older warriors have forced warriors to give up their excess weaponry, seeing as it is considered insulting to bring more than a spear which is sufficient to kill a lion. After a successful hunt, a one-week celebration takes place throughout the community. The warrior who struck the first blow is courted by the women and receives an Imporro, a doubled-sided beaded shoulder strap. The warrior wears this ornament during ceremonies. The community will honor Olmurani lolowuaru (the hunter) with much respect throughout his lifetime.

Body parts The Maasai do not eat game meat, and use the bodies of their killed lions for three body parts: the mane, the tail, and the claws. The mane is beaded by women of the community, and given back to the hunter, who wears it over his head on special occasions. After the meat ceremony, when a warrior becomes a junior elder, the mane is thrown away and greased with a mixture of sheep oil and ochre. This sacrificial event is done to avoid evil spirits. The lion's tail is stretched and softened by the warriors, then handed over to the women for beading. The warriors keep the tail in their manyatta (warriors camp), until the end of warriorhood. The lion tail is considered the most valuable product and after graduation, the warriors must gather to pay their last special respect to the tail before it is disposed of.

Hunting methods

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Lion hunting: Jahangir on a lion hunt, c. 1615
Jahangir on a lion hunt, c. 1615
Lion hunting: Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal (detail), Assyrian palace relief, North Palace, Nineveh (room C, panel 25-28), 645–635 BC, now in the British Museum
Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal (detail), Assyrian palace relief, North Palace, Nineveh (room C, panel 25-28), 645–635 BC, now in the British Museum
Lion hunting: Heracles slaying the Nemean lion: detail of a Roman mosaic from Lliria, Spain
Heracles slaying the Nemean lion: detail of a Roman mosaic from Lliria, Spain
Lion hunting: Depiction of a hunting scene on a dagger blade, 16th century BC, probably Minoan, buried at Mycenae, Greece.
Depiction of a hunting scene on a dagger blade, 16th century BC, probably Minoan, buried at Mycenae, Greece.
Lion hunting: A lion hunt shown in gold work on a belt plaque, Late Roman, 4th century, Turkey.
A lion hunt shown in gold work on a belt plaque, Late Roman, 4th century, Turkey.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lion hunting

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lion hunting claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lion hunting before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lion hunting ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lion hunting

In research
Lion hunting appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Lion hunting in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Lion hunting is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Hunting by game, Lions and humans, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Lion hunting outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Lion hunting in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Lion hunting means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Lion hunting out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lion hunting in simple terms?

Lion hunting is the act of hunting lions. Lions have been hunted since antiquity.

Why does Lion hunting matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lion hunting?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lion hunting.

Tags

  • Hunting by game
  • Lions and humans

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