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The Judgment of Animals in Classical Greece: Animal Sculpture and ...

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untrustworthy animal. So pervasive was this contradictory behavior <strong>of</strong> the dog that<br />

contemporary language adopted it as a figure <strong>of</strong> speech that marked similar behavior <strong>in</strong><br />

humans. Among guard dogs, the Molossian breed was highly valued for its exceptional<br />

ferocity, size, f<strong>in</strong>e appearance, <strong>and</strong> love <strong>and</strong> devotion to its owners; as such, Molossian<br />

dogs were considered valuable possessions <strong>and</strong> gifts.<br />

SECTION 2<br />

a. Dogs Steal<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> Gobbl<strong>in</strong>g Food<br />

Evidence regard<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Classical</strong> Greek view <strong>of</strong> the feed<strong>in</strong>g behavior <strong>of</strong> the dog<br />

comes from the comedies <strong>of</strong> Aristophanes. A passage from the Knights, for example,<br />

portrays steal<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> gobbl<strong>in</strong>g food as two types <strong>of</strong> behavior closely associated with the<br />

animal. Produced <strong>in</strong> 424 B.C., the Knights is a susta<strong>in</strong>ed attack on Cleon, a real-life<br />

politician identified throughout the play with a tanner named Paphlagon, <strong>and</strong> also likened<br />

to a dog that howls on behalf <strong>of</strong> the demos—Athenian assembly (e.g., Eq. 1023-1024).<br />

Nikias <strong>and</strong> Demosthenes, represent<strong>in</strong>g two real-life generals, disapprove <strong>of</strong> Paphlagon’s<br />

behavior as a demagogue, <strong>and</strong>, driven by an oracle, seek to replace him with a sausage<br />

seller. In an attempt to w<strong>in</strong> the support <strong>of</strong> Demos, portrayed here as an old, decrepit man,<br />

the sausage seller <strong>in</strong>vites the audience to see Cleon/Paphlagon as:<br />

<strong>The</strong> dog Cerberus, trafficker <strong>in</strong> bodies,<br />

who wags his tail at you when you’re d<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong><br />

watches, <strong>and</strong> when you happen to gape <strong>in</strong> another direction,<br />

eats up your entrée, <strong>and</strong> at night steals <strong>in</strong>to your kitchen<br />

all unseen, <strong>and</strong> doglike licks clean the plates <strong>and</strong> the isl<strong>and</strong>s.<br />

(Eq. 1030-1034) [38]<br />

175

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