Review by Chris Epplett
Over the past few years, there has been an increasing number of books and studies written on humankind’s interactions with and exploitation of the natural world. The book under review, drawn from the author’s background as both an animal lover and a student of ancient history, is yet another addition to this ever-growing field of publications. As she notes in her introduction, an understanding of the role of animals in Roman society contributes to a deeper understanding of Roman history as a whole.
Much of the book consists of numerous anecdotes and accounts from a variety of Greek and Roman authors concerning different animals, as well as how they were regarded and made use of in antiquity. This arrangement of material, incidentally, is not unlike that found in the works of some of the authors Freeman-Cuerden cites, such as Aelian and Pliny the Elder. Interspersed with this ancient testimony are the author’s own thoughts concerning the topic at hand. The material in the book is divided into two parts: Part I (‘A Bit of a Bestiary’) contains sections on a select group of animals and insects ranging from elephants to snakes, while Part II (‘Animals in the Roman World’) discusses the role of animals in such disparate activities as chariot-racing, the Roman spectacles, cosmetics, cuisine, and the military.
In general, Freeman-Cuerden’s book has much to recommend it. Although it appears to be aimed primarily at general readers with an interest in antiquity and the animal world, as opposed to a scholarly audience, it is certainly not without interest for the latter. Much of the information recorded in the text will already be familiar to scholars of fauna in Graeco-Roman antiquity, but some, for example the animal-based ingredients of many Roman cosmetics, may not be.
Seasons, saints, and feast days