Lion and Sun is one of the main emblem of the Persians, used by Iran between 1846 and 1980. The symbol itself is largely astrological: the ancient sign of the sun in the house of Leo.
the Lion and Sun, Wikimedia Commons
The sign appears in this nice zodiac ceramic kept in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. The ceramic also shows the other member of the zodiac, in the familiar Persian depiction: the spotted Taurus, and the human figures clad in complete robes.
