24.04.2013 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

liv<strong>in</strong>g together with humans br<strong>in</strong>gs to m<strong>in</strong>d Aristotle’s earlier designation <strong>of</strong> dogs as<br />

“symbiotic with humans”[61]. What is strik<strong>in</strong>g, however, is that Porphyry presents this<br />

symbiosis as the ma<strong>in</strong> reason for absta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g from eat<strong>in</strong>g dog flesh. This evidence<br />

suggests that spatial closeness <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>teraction between humans <strong>and</strong> the dog might have<br />

been responsible for produc<strong>in</strong>g a sympathetic attitude towards the animal. 305<br />

It is clear from the literary evidence cited here that the practice <strong>of</strong> eat<strong>in</strong>g dogs was<br />

not customary among Greeks <strong>in</strong> the second <strong>and</strong> third centuries A.D. <strong>The</strong> medical <strong>and</strong><br />

philosophical writ<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> Galen, Sextus Empiricus, <strong>and</strong> Porphyry <strong>in</strong>dicate that specific<br />

ideas, such as the one that considered eat<strong>in</strong>g dogs a s<strong>in</strong>, provided the basis for advocat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

abst<strong>in</strong>ence from it. In record<strong>in</strong>g that many cultures, such as the Thracians, practiced<br />

eat<strong>in</strong>g dogs, these authors also <strong>in</strong>dicate their approach to the practice as a sign <strong>of</strong> cultural<br />

otherness. Yet they ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> an awareness that this very same practice was<br />

recommended as treatment by Greek physicians <strong>in</strong> the fourth-century B.C. In their<br />

m<strong>in</strong>ds, therefore, the attitude towards eat<strong>in</strong>g dogs was not a po<strong>in</strong>t where past <strong>and</strong> present<br />

met.<br />

305 <strong>The</strong> emotional dimension <strong>of</strong> the relationship between humans <strong>and</strong> dogs, especially <strong>in</strong> second- <strong>and</strong> thirdcentury<br />

A.D. <strong>Greece</strong>, is a topic that deserves further attention, given the literary <strong>and</strong> material evidence that<br />

exists. As examples are mentioned here Aelian’s reference to dogs as tro&fimoi, which translates as “foster<br />

children,” (NA 11.36; 16.39); also the affection (storgh&) <strong>of</strong> the bitch Parthenope for her owner is recorded<br />

on the <strong>in</strong>scription (I.G. XII. 2, no. 459) on a funerary stele that depicts a dog <strong>in</strong> relief. <strong>The</strong> stele was found<br />

at Mytilene, Lesbos <strong>and</strong> has been dated to the second century A.D. For the suggestion that this <strong>in</strong>scription<br />

marked the grave <strong>of</strong> a dog, see S. Georgoudi, “Funeral Epigrams for <strong><strong>Animal</strong>s</strong>” 37. For a discussion <strong>of</strong> the<br />

specific terms, such as storgh& (affection), used to expressed the emotions that marked the relationship<br />

between animals <strong>and</strong> their owners <strong>in</strong> ancient <strong>Greece</strong> dur<strong>in</strong>g this period, see L. Bodson, “Motivation for Pet-<br />

Keep<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Ancient <strong>Greece</strong> <strong>and</strong> Rome: A Prelim<strong>in</strong>ary Survey,” <strong>in</strong> A. L. Podberschek et al., eds.,<br />

Companion <strong><strong>Animal</strong>s</strong> <strong>and</strong> Us: Explor<strong>in</strong>g the Relationships between People <strong>and</strong> Pets (Cambridge, 2000) 35.<br />

199

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!