THE SECRET LIFE OF ANCIENT PETS · Torch: U.S. · Winter 2020
17
A trending topic in today's JCL discourse is a shared love of our pets; we have Instagram accounts dedicated to finding and honoring the cutest dogs and cats of the JCL. But how did the ancient Greeks and Romans view their pets? Did they love their furry family members just as much as we do today? Which side did they take in the dog vs. cat debate? Or did they prefer another animal entirely? Well, wonder no longer! Find out all the answers to your burning questions about ancient pets here.
.
"Women would gladly send their husbands to the grave, if it would prevent harm from coming to their Malteses."
For dog lovers out there, here’s some good news: the ancient Greeks and Romans undisputedly preferred dogs to cats. (Cats were vastly more popular in ancient Egypt and China.) The dog was, in addition, their most favorite pet by far. The most popular breed was actually the Maltese, known in ancient times as the Melitaean lap dog, and plenty of ancient authors commented on the significance of this precious pup to the ancients. Aesop, the fabled author (pun intended), once said that it was customary for the ancients to take Maltese puppies along with them as their emotional support animal for sea voyages, and the Roman satirist Juvenal said that women would gladly send their husbands to the grave, if it would prevent harm from coming to their Malteses. Some of the ancients’ most prized qualities were those that were associated with dogs, such loyalty, courage, and gentleness. (A side note: remember when Odysseus’s dog, Argos, recognized him after 20 years apart and then died immediately after they reunited, with the text explicitly stating that the only thing that had kept Argos alive was his faith that Odysseus would return for him? *sobs*) Aside from being featured in ancient works like the Odyssey, dogs were depicted in other forms of ancient art such as Greek vase paintings and French bas-reliefs. The Roman governor of Malta, Publius, had the portrait of his Gallic lap dog, Issa, painted upon her death. Even Romans who were not wealthy as Publius built memorials to express their grief at their dogs’ passing, with graves, mosaics, and engravings being made in their honor.