The Culture of Animals in Antiquity: A Sourcebook with Commentaries

779 Pages·2018·145.27 MB·English

by  Sian Lewis and Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

THE CULTURE OF
ANIMALS IN ANTIQUITY
A Sourcebook with Commentaries
‘Llewellyn-Jones and Lewis have produced an ambitious and thought-provoking work
which will be essential reading for all those wishing to inform themselves about the roles
and functions of animals in the ancient Mediterranean world.’
– Julia Kindt, The University of Sydney, Australia
‘This volume testifies to the fact that animals have become one of the core themes in
research on Graeco-Roman antiquity. It gives easy access to a plethora of important sources
(ranging from 3000 bce to 600 ce) and illustrates the numerous ways in which animals were
reflected on in the ancient world. The documents covered here (written texts in translation,
material remains and art) provide useful evidence on eighty-four different species, including
mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, crustaceans and molluscs. One of the many virtues of this
substantial book is that it transcends the traditional temporal and geographical boundaries of
studies on the ancient world. Readers will find it an instructive treasure trove of information.’
– Thorsten Fögen, Durham University, UK
The Culture of Animals in Antiquity provides students and researchers with well-chosen and clearly
presented ancient sources in translation, some well-known, others undoubtedly unfamiliar, but
all central to a key area of study in ancient history: the part played by animals in the cultures
of the ancient Mediterranean. It brings new ideas to bear on the wealth of evidence – literary,
historical and archaeological – which we possess for the experiences and roles of animals in the
ancient world.
Offering a broad picture of ancient cultures in the Mediterranean as part of a wider ecosystem,
the volume is on an ambitious scale. It covers a broad span of time, from the sacred animals of
dynastic Egypt to the imagery of the lamb in early Christianity, and of region, from the fallow
deer introduced and bred in Roman Britain to the Asiatic lioness and her cubs brought as a gift
by the Elamites to the Great King of Persia. This sourcebook is essential for anyone wishing to
understand the role of animals in the ancient world and support learning for one of the fastest
growing disciplines in Classics.
Sian Lewis is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of St Andrews, where she
teaches Greek and Roman history, historiography and art. She specialises in Greek political and
social history of the classical period. Her publications include News and Society in the Greek Polis
(1996), Greek Tyranny (2010) and two collections of essays, Ancient Tyranny (2006) and Tyranny:
New Contexts (2016). She has also written extensively on Greek gender and iconography, includ-
ing The Athenian Woman: An Iconographic Handbook (2002) and (as co-editor) The World of Greek
Vases (2010). She is currently developing a project to study animal lives in the classical world.
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University. His research
focuses on the Persian Empire, Achaemenid monarchy and the Persian court as well as Greek
socio-cultural history, ancient gender and Hellenistic civilisation. He is the author of Aphrodite’s
Tortoise: The Veiled Woman of Ancient Greece (2003) and King and Court in Ancient Persia (2013), the
co-author of Ctesias’ History of Persia: Tales of the Orient (2010), the editor of volumes on Greek
historiography, ancient dress and gender, and the co-editor of Creating a Hellenistic World (2010)
and the forthcoming The Hellenistic Court. He is the Series Editor of Edinburgh Studies in Ancient
Persia, and the Series Co-Editor of Screening Antiquity. He is currently co-authoring a book on
Ptolemaic queens and a monograph, Designs on the Past: How Hollywood Created the Ancient World.
THE CULTURE OF
ANIMALS IN ANTIQUITY
A Sourcebook with Commentaries
Sian Lewis and Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
First published 2018
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Sian Lewis and Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
The right of Sian Lewis and Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78
of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without
intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd, author. | Lewis, Sian, author.
Title: The culture of animals in antiquity : a sourcebook with commentaries /
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Sian Lewis.
Description: Milton Park, Abingdon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016053014| ISBN 9780415817554
(hardback : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781315201603 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Animal culture—
Mediterranean Region—History—To 476. |
Human-animal relationship—History—Source. |
Animals—Social aspects—History.
Classification: LCC SF41 .L54 2017 | DDC 636.00937—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016053014
ISBN: 978-0-415-81755-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-20160-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Keystroke, Neville Lodge, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton
To our cats:
Max, Sol, Siri, Dan, Tabitha, Apple, Juno, Alain and Tommy
– S.L.
To the cats and dogs in my life:
Bea, Purdy, Arthur and Jessie, Ryker, Picky, Wesley, Lacey and
Cheeky-Pussy, César-Phoebus and Iestyn, Masie, Shirin and Myfanwy
– L.L-J.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1. Taxonomies: making sense of animals 8
2. Domestic animals 32
a) Mammals 32
ox; goat; sheep; pig; horse; donkey/mule; camel; dog; weasel; cat; human
b) Birds 230
goose; duck; chicken; dove/pigeon; quail; parrot; peacock; pheasant
c) Insects 281
bee
3. Wild animals 296
a) Mammals 296
deer/antelope; gazelle; bear; lion; leopard; jackal; hyena; wolf; fox; badger; mole;
hare/rabbit; hedgehog; mongoose; rat; mouse; bat; seal; dolphin; whale; aurochs; elk;
elephant; hippopotamus; rhinoceros; giraffe; cheetah; tiger; monkey
b) Birds 473
crow/raven; sparrow; nightingale; owl; falcon/hawk; eagle; vulture; crane/stork; swan;
water birds; hoopoe; ostrich
c) Reptiles and amphibians 545
crocodile; tortoise/turtle; frog/toad; lizard; snake
vii
Contents
d) Insects and molluscs 593
ant; cricket/cicada; locust; scorpion; scarab beetle; spider; fly; butterfly/moth; flea;
louse; weevil; snail
e) Marine creatures 651
fish; shark; octopus; crab; oyster; murex
4. Working animals 686
agriculture; transport; performing animals; hunting; warfare
5. Pets 713
dogs; cats; primates; other mammals; birds; reptiles and insects
6. Sport 738
entertainment; animal fights; hunting
Index animalium 763
Index of classical authors 767
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A book of this scale and diversity could not have been written without the help and engagement
of many other scholars, and we both owe thanks to the brilliant minds and kind generosity of
numerous individuals. Here we acknowledge that debt of gratitude with sincere appreciation.
L.L-J. & S.L.
My thanks to the friends and colleagues who shared their specialist knowledge, including Rebecca
Sweetman, Jon Coulston, Stephen Hodkinson, Naomi Sykes, Virginia Campbell, Emma-Jayne
Graham, Nora Batterman, Robin MacKenzie, Lorenz Winkler-Horacˇek, Ken Kitchell, Judy
Barringer, Elizabeth Moignard, Christiana Franco, Alistair Harden, Thorsten Foegen and many
others.
Thanks also to Tessa Rickards, who drew the line drawings, and proved more than equal to most
challenging material, and to the many colleagues who assisted with photographs and permissions:
Irene Boesel and Kornelia Kressirer at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, Munich;
Jean-Michel Bontempi and Francois Orlandi at the Musée d’Aléria; Katharina Brandt at the
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Athens; Paul Butler; Iain Calderwood at the British Museum;
Antony Chubb at Bromley Museum; Cameron Clegg; Sebastian Encina and Michelle Fontenot
at the Kelsey Museum; Fourcroy Florence at the Musée de Boulogne-sur-mer; Don Garber;
Jos Janssen; Joe Jaroch; Christine Kondoleon; Daria Lanzuolo at the Deutsches Archäologisches
Institut, Rome; Steve Martin of St Andrews University Library Special Collections; Oriol Olesti
Vila; Carlo Raso; Dale Serjeantson; Rebecca Sweetman; Naomi Sykes; Branko van Oppen and
Stephan van der Linden at the Allard Pierson Museum; Yukie Takagaki at the Miho Museum. Amy
Davis-Poynter and Elizabeth Thomasson at Taylor & Francis gave valuable assistance throughout
the project. The School of Classics in St Andrews offered both generous assistance with the expense
of illustrations, and the research leave which allowed me to complete the work.
I have enjoyed working on this book more than any other academic project, both because
of the great pleasure of collaborating with Lloyd, who brought his characteristic enthusiasm,
wide-ranging knowledge and imagination to every stage, and because of the amazing and diverse
material which we discovered, which led me into some unexpected areas and expanded my
academic horizons. The book would not exist without Lloyd’s energy and vision.
My greatest debt, as always, is to Robin MacKenzie, who lived with the animals for a very
long time and whose interest and support never flagged. This book is dedicated, as is appropriate,
to our cats, past and present.
S.L.
ix