Animals and Other Pets classes 3 and 4

 In the last two classes, we moved from the Ancient Near East to Greece and Italy. Greek and Latin texts provide a wealth of human-animal relationships, everything from dogs and falcons to bees and cicadas. Several tombstones with inscriptions about favorite dogs were particularly touching.

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One unusual video described and illustrated how Roman soldiers trapped and transported animals from all over the Roman Empire and sent them to the Colosseum in Rome.

In the last lecture, we sampled some South American animals (the fox, depicted in temple art of Peru and in the night sky as a constellation) and different kinds of camelid (llama, alpaca, guanaco, etc)

We finished with North America, especially our own state of Illinois, with dog and cat burials particularly this charming bobkitten who was buried with "pomp and circumstance" in the form of a shell necklace.

Illustration by K. Farnsworth, ISAS

Cats in Ancient Egypt

Class 2 moved from Mesopotamian to Egyptian Animals. I introduced one of my favorite Egyptologists, Salima Ikram, who has posted two videos about Egyptian mythology and animals, especially cats.

Animal cults (5 min)

Documentary on cats (45 min)

The Archaeology of Pets and Other Animals (4 week class, spring 2024)

Summary: Man’s historical relationship with animals goes far beyond using animal parts for food, clothing, and ornaments. This class will begin with trusted pets (e.g. dogs, cats, and birds). Later we will consider relationships with animals who serve specific functions (e.g. plowing, milking, transport, war) and odd companions (e.g. snakes, geese). When were animals first domesticated? Which animals ate and slept with their humans? Which animals achieved sacred status, either as gods or as symbols of transformation and the afterlife? Types of evidence will include pet cemeteries around the world, stables and other enclosures, bone and coprolite analyses, art, and literature.

The first class introduced different types of evidence archaeologists use, including burials of animals with humans, artifacts, art, literature, and faunal analysis. 

Video: What is Zooarchaeology? (7 minute Australian video)

         

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