Winter 2020· Torch: U.S. · THE SECRET LIFE OF ANCIENT PETS
Mystery, allure, and a chance of death: who knew that these qualities made snakes popular pets? The legendary hero Ajax had a snake that was 7.5 feet long; much like a scaly dog, the snake drank with him and followed him around. Emperor Tiberius had a snake for a pet until it died, and Tiberius took its death as an omen that violence was coming his way, fleeing the city (luckily, no harm was done).
But the chance of dying from the snakebite of a pet snake even back then was remarkably low because the ancients were wise enough to domesticate them before letting them into their houses. Apparently, snakes were so tame that Macedonian parents let their children sleep with snakes, and snakes allowed themselves be stepped on without issue (not that I would try that anytime soon though), and this was similarly true in the Greek city of Epidarus. Snakes could be seen slithering around necks and deftly weaving through dinner cutlery and cups. Tame as snakes may be, however, their venom was still evidently deadly; ancient households used the venom from their snakes to keep mice and other pests away.
Despite the popularity of snakes as pets, the ancients were still understandably wary of them and the dangers they posed. Proverbs and myths serving as cautionary tales against snake venom and the treachery of snakes abounded. A lekythos (vessel used for storing oil) depicts a snake on a young boy’s lap, attacking the quail on his knee, and a statue tells the story of how a girl was frightened by her tame house snake, keeping her pet pigeon out of its reach.
SNAKES
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