Griffins are apparently first referred to by Hesiod (in a lost passage) and were said, by Herodotus, to be the guardians of the gold in Scythia. Representations of this monster, part eagle part lion, are to be found on coinage from the 6th Century B.C. onwards and the griffin remained a popular symbol well into Roman times. This unusual statuette is the only recorded representation of a griffin to have been found in Britain; it was found with other 1st Century A.D. Romano-British metalwork