"These guys ended up as guardian figures because they were physically strong and threatening," Mr. Eskenazi said.

He is carved as a guardian figure on a doorway in Aššur-bāni-apli's north palace at Nineveh.

And he placed the guardian figures, the two cherubim, at the gates to the garden.

Her works are mainly wooden "guardian figures", created mostly from beechwood but also from black locust.

Dwarf creatures are featured on temple tiers serving as guardian figures.

The so-called Prudhoe lions originally stood as guardian figures at this temple.

At the centre of the rear wall, guardian figures are depicted flanking a shrine.

Each shrine is flanked by pilasters with guardian figures.

The stairway leading up to the temple is flanked by guardian figures at each plinth level.

"The Sunman was a guardian figure that appeared in my childhood dreams," he said.