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PETS IN ANCIENT GREECE
a passionate kiss with a heron
Monkeys and dogs were kept as pets, and a few lucky children even got to have pet cheetahs. Representations of pet animals from ancient Greece include an old gentleman walking with his sharp-nosed Melitean dog on interior of the kylix by Hegesiboulos. Cocks and quails were kept for fighting by boys and young men. Ganymede on an amphora carries his cock on his arm. [Source: “The Daily Life of the Greeks and Romans”, Helen McClees Ph.D, Gilliss Press, 1924]
Animals were an important part of life in ancient times, and there are numerous indications that Ancient Greeks loved their pets. Images on vases, bowls, jugs, reliefs, figurines, and even funerary stelae at least appear to show that pets and people had a strong emotional bond. Greeks buried their pets along the roadside in marked graves, and there was a solemn ceremony for this. Archaeologists have uncovered numerous epitaphs on tombstones that the Greeks dedicated to their pets. “This is the tomb of the dog, Stephanos, who perished/whom Rhodope shed tears for and buried like a human/I am the dog Stephanos, and Rhodope set up a tomb for me” reads one gravestone.
Ancient sources tell us that they kept a wide variety of animals at home, ranging from dogs to snakes. Quails, cranes, small birds, and rabbits were household favorites. On the perfume vases you can see quails, cranes, and a rabbit appear among the groups of women. The goose was perhaps the commonest pet and children are often represented playing with one. Some small boys with two goats harnessed to a little chariot appear on an oinochoë Based on writings and images in painting and sculptures from ancient Greece dogs were, by far, the most common domesticated pets and prized for their hunting abilities. [Source John Smith, Greek Reporter, June 10, 2024]
Dogs in Ancient Greece
Dogs are believed to have been domesticated between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago. Mycenaean art frequently includes dogs, and the burial of dogs with humans is a well-known Mycenaean custom. The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford has a Mycenaean rhyton (drinking vessel), dated 1300–1190 B.C., in the shape of dog or fox head. By classical Greek times the breeding of dogs had flourished, [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Expedition Magazine, 2011]
Argos
The ancient Greeks and Romans possessed hounds that hunted using scent. The Greeks used mastiff-like dogs to track lions in Africa. In 350 B.C., Aristotle described three kinds of dogs, including swift Laconians used to chase and kill rabbits and deer. At least some dogs in ancient Greece were not fed. They were expected to catch their meals. The Romans fed their dogs. A burial site in Athens has revealed a dog buried with a leather collar.
Aristotle theorized that the dogs-eating-their-vomit phenomeno occurred because dogs deliberately forced themselves to vomit in order to refeed and heal themselves (History of Animals 4.8.5). Also, in antiquity necrophagia, or corpse eating, was associated with dogs as they were known for feasting on unburied corpses. [Source: Candida Moss, Daily Beast, January 16, 2022]
According to Archaeology magazine: The healing power of dogs was well known in antiquity, too. At Epidaurus, the sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine, sacred dogs (and snakes) are said to have licked the wounds of pilgrims who came to be cured. An inscription found at the site records that a growth on a boy’s neck was healed when one of the temple’s dogs licked it. [Source: Archaeology magazine, January-February 2018]
See Separate Article: DOGS: THEIR HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, BEHAVIOR AND INTELLIGENCE europe.factsanddetails.com ; DOGS, THE FIRST DOMESTICATED ANIMALS? factsanddetails.com
Attitude Towards Dogs in Ancient Greece
Jarrett A. Lobell and Eric Powell wrote in Archaeology magazine, “Evidence for love of dogs in the ancient world is abundant, from Homer's account of Argos waiting for his master to return from the Trojan War to the careful burials of cherished pets all over the world. And, as many owners also know, dogs live for treats. Even in the afterlife, their owners liked to spoil them. Behind the Stoa of Attalos, the main public building of the ancient Athenian market, a fourth-century grave was found containing the skeleton of a dog with a large beef bone near his head.” [Source: Jarrett A. Lobell and Eric Powell, Archaeology magazine, September/October 2010]
Candida Moss wrote in the Daily Beast: Alexander the Great, who was gifted no fewer than 150 dogs, loved one — Peritas — so much that he named a city after him when he died. A hunting dog, Peritas fought alongside Alexander in war, allegedly bested lions, and may even have taken down an elephant. He may have been special, however, as he was rumored to have had tiger’s blood running through his veins. [Source: Candida Moss, Daily Beast, January 16, 2022]
According to Xenophon, the dog names preferred by the ancient Greeks were short, consisting of one, or at most two, syllables. They also paid special attention to the meaning of the name of the dog and no name was ever bestowed at random or on a whim. After their loyal friend and companion departed from this world, ancient Greeks were not afraid to express their grief for their loss, openly crying and mourning. [Source John Smith, Greek Reporter, June 10, 2024]
Homer wrote about dogs: “As they were talking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy....As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master [and] Argos passed into the darkness of death, now that he had seen his master once more after 20 years.” [Odyssey, Book 17]
Candida Moss wrote in the Daily Beast: The stereotype that dogs are shameless and even repulsive contributed to the naming of one of history’s most prominent philosophical schools: the Cynics. The word itself comes from the Greek kunikos or dog-like. While some think that the Cynics were named after the Cynosarges gymnasium in Athens, where their founder taught, others disagree. A later commentator remarks that they are named “doglike” because of their shameless disregard for manners and willingness to defecate and have sex in public. Our definition of what counts as “cynical behavior” has certainly come a long way. [Source: Candida Moss, Daily Beast, January 16, 2022]
Odysseus’ Long-Suffering Dog — Was It a Pet?
Kenneth Kitchell wrote: Another pet in the Odyssey is justifiably famous —Odysseus’ long-suffering dog . As Odysseus nears his home in a deformed beggar’s disguise provided by Athena, he has fooled everyone he has met. But at the city gates lies an old dog named Argos. Odysseus had raised him but left for Troy before the dog was fully grown. Argos had been a great hunter in his day, but now he is banished outside the gates of Ithaca, lying “in the dung, all covered with dog ticks” (Od. 17.300, trans. Lattimore), no longer useful to those who are making decisions in Odysseus’ absence. He is at least 20 years old—ancient in dog years—but as soon as Odysseus comes near, he sees through the disguise and recognizes his master. In one of the most heart-wrenching scenes from antiquity, the dog—who can no longer walk—lays his ears back, wags his tail, and closes his eyes for the last time. Homer tells us that tears came to Odysseus’ eyes as he watched the dog first welcome him and then die. [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Expedition Magazine, 2011]
Molossian hound — the "Jennings Dog", a Roman copy of a lost Greek bronze statue, at the British Museum
Our first instinct is to view this scene through modern eyes and think of as family pets. But we must proceed carefully. Odysseus, pretending he does not know Argos, asks his guide whether the dog was a hunter in his day or perhaps “one of the kind of table dog that gentlemen keep, and it is only for show that their masters care for them” (Od. 17.309-10, trans. Lattimore). Herein lies the crux of the problem, because before we talk about the pets of the Greeks, we would be wise to define what a pet actually is.
A pet is generally defined as an animal kept for companionship or amusement. But what about companion animals that also serve a practical use such as hunting or guarding, as Argos did? One would also assume that humans do not eat their pets. But did Penelope ever eat her geese? If they were kept for their flesh or eggs, an argument can be made that they were farm animals as well as pets. It is clear, then, that while some animals were kept strictly for emotional reasons, other pets might serve multiple functions.
Types of Dogs in Ancient Greece
Breeds or dogs types included the the Laconian, were well-regarded its speed and hunting skill and the Molossian, a huge breed used for hunting big game. John Smith wrote in the Greek Reporter: The Cretan was a cross-breed of the two above and likely used to find food. Greeks were also fond of a breed called the Celtic Vertragus, which seemed to be a forerunner to the greyhound. Their speed and agility were highly valued by the ancient Greeks, and legend has it that one saved the life of Alexander the Great from a charging elephant. [Source John Smith, Greek Reporter, June 10, 2024]
Kenneth Kitchell wrote: D.B. Hull in his Hounds and Hunting in Ancient Greece (1964) patiently collected the names of at least 29 separate breeds, not counting breeds that may have been imported. The ancients mention the Castrian, Molossian, Cretan, Laconian, “fox-dog,” and many more, each with specific traits that made them appealing to humans. Equating these descriptions to modern breeds is difficult, if not impossible, but it is safe to say that Greek dogs fell into three basic categories. The first was a large mastiff-type dog such as the Molossian hound whose job was to guard flocks and fend off wolves. [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Expedition Magazine, 2011]
These animals probably spent the majority of their time outside and may not have been considered pets. The second type was used for hunting and was bred for speed, tracking, and tenacity. These dogs—the most common were Laconian (Spartan) and Cretan—straddle the line between pet and work animal, for we often see them on Greek vases, accompanying young aristocrats on the hunt for deer, hare, and boar.
They are also shown frequently in scenes depicting soldiers departing for war, perhaps indicating the close ties between men and dogs. One such scene is of interest for many reasons (Why is a Phrygian archer here? Why does the old man hold his nose?), but is especially interesting because it clearly shows a dog’s body language. The dog appears nervous or anxious, a state brought on, we are to understand, by the imminent departure of its master.
Statue of a hunting dog thought to be a Laconian found in the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia on the Acropolis
Such dogs were the constant companions of young aristocrats (in some periods described as ephebes), often in public places such as the gymnasium. When these young men are courted by older men—a common social interaction in ancient Athens—“love gifts,” many caught with the help of dogs, are often exchanged. A black figure amphora shows these gifts: a deer to the left, a hare hanging on the wall, and a fox to the right. The dogs of young aristocrats commonly wear collars, are often on leashes, and frequently recline under the young men’s couches at symposia, Greek drinking/ dinner parties. So popular was this custom that the sculptor of the Nereid Monument from Lycia even shows King Arbinas with his dog. The writer Xenophon, best known for his histories and his works on Socrates, even wrote a treatise called the Kynegitika on the breeding, rearing, and training of just this sort of dog.
The third type of dog is as much a creature of the house as the Molossian was of the field. These little Maltese definitely fall into the realm of “pet” for they serve no practical purpose other than to provide pleasure and companionship to their owners. In ancient Athens, a three-day festival to Dionysus took place each year called the Anthesteria, which was characterized by great merriment and drinking. During the festival children were given miniature versions of vases called choes (singular chous) which often depicted boys or girls with Maltese dogs. It has been persuasively suggested that children received pets as gifts at the Anthesteria; it is possible that male children were given Maltese dogs when young and then, in a kind of rite of passage, graduated up to a hunting dog, which then accompanied them on the hunt and on social occasions. Other animals are also seen on these choes, many of which are undoubtedly pets.
A chous from the British Museum shows a young boy with two pets: a Maltese and a bird that may represent a jackdaw or a song bird. Another charming chous in the British Museum shows a young boy holding a bird and a push toy, perhaps another gift. Other choes bear images of roosters, birds that may be ducks or geese, hares, and carts drawn by (pet?) goats and fawns. Roosters, in fact, were commonly kept by aristocratic youths for the purpose of cock fighting. Although the Maltese is mostly associated with children and women, it is occasionally shown with an adult male. A famous vase shows a wreathed reveler on his way home from a symposium, singing and playing the lyre, and accompanied by his small pet. Some scholars have even suggested that the figure is Anakreon, a famous 6th century B.C. lyric poet.
Greyhounds in Ancient Greece
A greyhound reportedly saved Alexander the Great from a charging elephant. The name greyhound is believed to derived from the word “ Grauis” , meaning Grecian. The first accurate description of a grey hound is attributed to Ovid (63 B.C. to A.D. 17)
Greyhounds are regarded as the world's oldest breed of dog along with the dingo, New Guinea singing dog, and African basenji. They were pictured in mural from a settlement in Turkey dating to 4000 B.C. By some reckonings the oldest dog breed, the saluki, is thought to have emerged in 329 B.C.
Greyhounds were raised and bred by Egyptians and were pictured in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. The oldest reference to a greyhound is a carving of the Tomb of Amten in the Nile Valley, dated between 2900 and 2751 B.C. It shows three images greyhound or greyhound-type dogs. Two are attacking deer and one is attacking an animal that looks like a wild goat.
Extremely fast and maneuverable, greyhounds were used for hunting animals such as gazelles and wolves and coursing hares. Over the centuries they have been used to pursue all kinds of animals including deer and foxes. Their natural prey is hares.
Greyhounds were linked with royalty, who treated their dogs so well that ordinary people resented them because they were treated better than people. The dogs of some pharaohs had 2,000 attendants.
Dog Sacrifices in Ancient Greece
Jarrett A. Lobell and Eric Powell wrote in Archaeology magazine, “ Sacrificing dogs to appease supernatural forces was part of religious traditions in ancient Greece, where the Spartans slaughtered dogs to ensure victory in battle. Homer wrote: “Patroclus had owned nine dogs who ate beside his table. Slitting the throats of two of them, Achilles tossed them on the pyre.” (Homer, Iliad, Book 23) [Source: Jarrett A. Lobell and Eric Powell, Archaeology magazine, September/October 2010]
Some dog sacrifices are on a more massive scale. In 1937, archaeologists excavating in the Agora, the main marketplace of ancient Athens, made a stunning discovery — a well containing bones from hundreds of people, including approximately 450 newborns, and from more than 100 dogs. According to Lynn M. Snyder, who is re-examining the animal bones from the well, the infants likely died of natural causes. But she believes the dogs were "most likely sacrificed as part of a purification ritual after a birth, whether successful or not." Several ancient Greek sources identify dogs as the victims of choice to cleanse the pollution caused by both death and childbirth.
hunting dog and hunter
But dogs weren't just sacrificed in antiquity. In Hungary, a team excavating a site in the medieval town of Kaná just outside Budapest, discovered more than 1,000 dog bones, about 12 percent of all the mammal bones at the site. From these, Márta Daróczi-Szabó, an archaeozoologist at Eoetvoes Loránd University in Budapest identified five puppies, buried in pots, that were sacrificed and placed into the construction trenches of several buildings. Daróczi-Szabó believes that the puppies and several other dog burials at the site were intended to ward off evil, a custom that survived in Hungary into the 20th century.
Although similar sacrifices have been found at other Hungarian excavations, especially of religious sites, Daróczi-Szabó was surprised by the pots from the domestic contexts at Kaná. "From these kinds of sacrificial pots, dog remains are very rare," she says. "More often eggs or chicken bones are found. So I was very excited by these finds." Daróczi-Szabó believes they suggest the practice of dog sacrifice was quite common during the Middle Ages in Hungary. "Despite the formal institution of Catholicism by the first Hungarian king, István I (1000-1038), who banned pagan rituals, it shows that part of the population still maintained these rituals in spite of the ideological dominance of Christianity."
Then there is the question dogs being guardians of the soul. Many ancient people assumed they would encounter dogs in the afterworld, from readers of the Rig Veda, the Vedic Sanskrit hymns composed in India in the second millennium B.C., to Greeks and Romans reared on tales of Cerberus, the three-headed hound who guards the entrance to Hades.
Cats in Ancient Greece
Cats were probably introduced from the East or from Egypt in the late sixth or the early fifth century B.C. , but they were rare and seemed to have been looked upon as curiosities rather than as pets. John Smith wrote in the Greek Reporter: Although cats were worshiped and prized in ancient Egypt, there are few records of cats in ancient Greek writing. Yet the existence of the Aegean cat, a native Greek feline breed, may be evidence that the ancient Greeks kept cats as pets, as well Believed to be descendants of the ancient cats that inhabited the Greek islands throughout antiquity, Aegean cats have bred naturally without human intervention for thousands of years. It is thought to be one of the oldest domesticated breeds in the world. There is archaeological evidence of cats living alongside humans in Cyprus in antiquity, however. Excavations at a Neolithic site called Shillourokampos in Cyprus showed that ancient people there truly cared for their feline companions and even dug out a grave with care for their pet cat..[Source John Smith, Greek Reporter, June 10, 2024]
Kenneth Kitchell wrote: The question of the cat as a pet in ancient Greece is rather vexing. Modern Athens is home to countless feral cats. However, the status of the cat in ancient Greece is unclear, as images of cats are fairly rare. The Greeks undoubtedly learned of the cat through contact with Egypt where the cat was so beloved that, according to the historian Herodotus, Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows when a pet cat died. But the Greeks seem never to have formed the same depth of attachment to the cat, and references to them are so infrequent in the literature that most scholars think their presence in ancient Greece was minimal. [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Expedition Magazine, 2011]
Greek coin from Rhegion, showing the city founder with a cat
Cats were probably kept by Greek households as liminal animals—animals that come and go from the house as they wish. This may account for the fact that few cat bones have been found in domestic situations. In Greece the important job of “mouser” seems to have been handled by weasels and ferrets, many of which were also considered liminal pets. Yet some clear representations of cats do exist. The National Archaeological Museum of Athens hosts a famous funerary kouros base dating to about 510 B.C. that shows two seated Athenian noble youths, each holding a pet on a leash, one a cat, the other a dog. Other sides of the base show young men exercising in the gymnasium, and we are left to imagine that each of the seated youths has come to the gymnasium to show off his pet. The arched back of a cat as it faces a dog is familiar to anyone who has ever seen such an encounter.
A funeral stele from Aegina or Salamis dates to 430–420 B.C., and with craftsmanship of the highest order, it shows a youth in profile, holding a bird in his left hand and extending his right hand toward a cage. Just below the cage is a rectangular pillar, and upon this sits an animal, which—although his head is missing—is almost assuredly a domestic cat. An unusual askos in the shape of a lobster’s claw shows a rather poorly drawn cat. One might take it for a wild cat, but elsewhere on the vessel are a dog and a cock, both of which were likely pets.
Unusual Animals Kept as Pets in Ancient Greece
Ferrets and a variety of birds were kept as pets in ancient Greece. Snakes played the role that cats did in other places. They were kept mice and rat numbers down. Ferrets were also kept for pest control. less traditional pets as well. Grasshoppers, crickets, and cicadas were kept in tiny cages and were valued for their song. The Greek Anthology even has some epitaphs expressly written for such pets upon their demise, and the poet Meleager laments the loss of his cicada after three years of captivity, claiming that its singing helped him sleep and drove away cares. An ancient commentator on a passage from Aristophanes’ Wasps tells us that children would tie a thread to the leg of a beetle and let them buzz through the air. They may have been pets or simply played with and released. [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Expedition Magazine, 2011]
Hares were kept as pets. We have seen above that the hare was routinely hunted and presented as a gift. The hare’s fertility and active sex life associate it with Aphrodite and Eros. But evidence exists that the hare was also kept as a pet and not merely presented as a lifeless, tasty morsel to be eaten. A red-figured cup shows a youth running with a hare. A Tanagra figurine shows a girl holding a hare, and the Worcester Art Museum has a fine pyxis which shows Erotes at play, with a hare on a leash.
Hedgehogs were kept in and around houses, no doubt for its tendency to eat slugs and snails. Aristotle reported that a man in Byzantium kept a hedgehog that earned him a living by forecasting the weather. Hedgehogs build burrows with two entrances and, so it was told, blocked off one of them if bad weather was on the way.
Cheetahs and Monkeys as Pets in Ancient Greece
In 1978, ago, Ann Ashmead published “Greek Cats” in Expedition magazine. Kenneth Kitchell wrote: She was inspired by a vase in the Penn Museum which effectively demonstrated that cheetahs were kept by aristocratic youths. The cheetahs may have been purchased from Egypt where they were also kept as pets. Cheetahs on Greek vases are clearly status symbols and often have collars and leashes. [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Expedition Magazine, 2011]
A red figure hydria dating to the end of the Persian Wars (middle of the 5th century B.C.) shows a music lesson to which the students have brought their pets. The Maltese dog beneath the chair is of interest, but one youth, clearly showing off his affluence, is leading a cheetah on a leash. The relative size of the cat compared to the small dog leads us to believe it is still young.
There is written and pictorial evidence that Greeks kept monkeys as pets, with some writers telling stories of these animals learning how to play musical instruments for entertainment. In a music lesson scene on the shoulder of a hydria attributed to the Agrigento painter and dating about ten years after the previous vase. Here a young cheetah is on a low table, to be admired by one and all. To the right side of the scene a figure is seated on the ground, leaning on its left side. The features of the figure lead us to believe that this may also be a pet—a monkey or small ape. Although there is scant evidence for simian pets in this period, we know that monkeys and apes were very popular as pets in later antiquity.
Geese and Birds as Pets in Ancient Greece
Large birds were also a common ancient Greek pet, with herons and peacocks often taking up residence at home. Engravings show ducks and geese being kept as pets — perhaps to sound the alarm when strangers show up and playing the role of a guard dog.[Source John Smith, Greek Reporter, June 10, 2024]
Kenneth Kitchell wrote: Most people are familiar with the strong character of Penelope, who waited at Ithaca while her husband Odysseus was away 20 long years. In Homer’s Odyssey we watch in admiration as she holds together Odysseus’ kingdom and keeps a horde of suitors at bay until he returns. But many readers quickly pass over the fact that she kept a flock of geese to help ease her heart. “I have twenty geese here about the house, and they feed on Grains of wheat from the water trough. I love to watch them.” [Odyssey 19.535-37] [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Expedition Magazine, 2011]
Indeed, later Greek art often shows women in domestic situations with geese or ducks. A red figure amphora dating to 470–460 B.C. shows a woman spending her leisure time playing ball (a ball is in each hand) while a goose looks on. A Hellenistic terracotta of the late 4th century B.C. shows another woman looking into a mirror as she adjusts her dress with the help of an attendant. At her feet sits a goose whose head has unfortunately been lost. Such scenes may have been commonplace in Greek households, with pets nearby during many domestic activities.
turtle and a maltese
Many birds were kept as pets. Next to dogs, they may have been the second most common type of pet in ancient Greece. The name vase of the Cage Painter clearly shows a bird in a cage being held on a young man’s lap. Was this a personal pet or intended as a gift?
Young children were given birds as pets. Grave stelae of children regularly show them holding a bird, commonly a dove. Many stelae, such as the Melisto stele in the Harvard Sackler Museum, show a deceased child holding out a bird to a Maltese dog, as if inviting play. Pet birds are also depicted in happier circumstances. Plutarch and other authors tell us that starlings, crows, and parrots were all kept as pets and that these birds delighted their owners by imitating their voices. Likewise, small songbirds such as sparrows were kept in cages to entertain their owners with their song. Several Greek vases even show long-legged birds such as cranes in the women’s quarters, and the famous Alcibiades had a pet quail.
Treatment of Animals in Ancient Greece
Kenneth Kitchell wrote: The number of pets appearing with humans on grave stelae, vases, and other objects is testimony to the fact that many Greeks formed strong emotional attachments to their pets. A relative infrequency of tales of animal abuse appear in the Greek world, as well as the reverse—strong cases indicating respect for pets. Alcibiades, Socrates’ student and the most famous playboy of late 5th century B.C. Athens, once paid 70 minae for a dog. A mna (or mina) was worth 100 drachmas, so he paid 7,000 drachmas for the dog. This was a considerable sum, as a skilled laborer at that time earned only about one drachma a day. Plutarch, in writing about the life of Alcibiades, tells us that he had the dog’s tail cut off, which caused great resentment among his friends who said: All of Athens felt sorry for the dog. [Source Kenneth Kitchell, a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst,Expedition Magazine, 2011]
This writer knows of only one vase which depicts animal mistreatment. A late chous (360–350 B.C.) in the British Museum shows a young girl whirling a turtle about by a string attached to its rear foot, teasing her pet Maltese dog in the process. This may be compared to depictions on funeral stelae of children holding birds in the air over leaping Maltese dogs, although these may be construed as scenes of play.
One last anecdote sums up the attachment between the ancient Greeks and their pets. The date was 480 B.C., and the Persians under Xerxes were closing in on Athens, which they would soon sack and burn. Themistocles ordered the evacuation of women, children, and the elderly. Among these was Xanthippus, the father of Pericles. Plutarch, in his life of Themistocles, relates that the dogs of Athens ran about howling at being separated from their masters, but the dog of Xanthippus swam after his master’s ship all the way to Salamis. He emerged from the water and promptly died of exhaustion on the shore. Showing his affection for his dedicated pet, Xanthippus buried the dog in a place near the sea that is known even today as the Dog’s Tomb. This brings us full circle, back to the emotion shown by Odysseus for Argos. The ancient Greeks kept a variety of animals for reasons other than utility. They also kept them for the emotional gratification they offered their owners.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons, The Louvre, The British Museum
Text Sources: Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Greece sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Hellenistic World sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; BBC Ancient Greeks bbc.co.uk/history/; Canadian Museum of History, Perseus Project - Tufts University; perseus.tufts.edu ; MIT Classics Online classics.mit.edu ; Gutenberg.org, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Live Science, Discover magazine, Natural History magazine, Archaeology magazine, The New Yorker, Encyclopædia Britannica, "The Discoverers" and "The Creators" by Daniel Boorstin. "Greek and Roman Life" by Ian Jenkins from the British Museum, Wikipedia, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, AFP and various books and other publications.
Last updated September 2024