Pet Animals in Roman Antiquity: Reconstructions from Archaeological Evidence

Roman mosaic of a dog, bearing the legend 'Cave Canem' underneath, from Pompeii, from Naples National Museum's collection, 1st century. (Photo by CM Dixon/Print Collector/Getty Images)

This illustrated lecture integrates archaeological, ancient textual, and artistic evidence to provides a more holistic assessment of the distribution, perception, breeding, and treatment of pet animals during Roman antiquity. The concept of what constituted a “pet” animal in the world of antiquity is explored, before outlining the varieties and types of pet animals, as well as the specialized roles each may have fulfilled.