Random Fascinating Pets Of Ancient World (10 items)

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  (#2) The Roman Emperor Caligula Tried To Make His Pet Horse A Senator

  Everybody loves their pets, but we all know that one person who definitely takes it a little too far. In ancient Rome, that guy was the emperor Caligula. Caligula is remembered for ruling with an iron fist - some say he was insane - and being assassinated just four years into his reign. 

  Caligula also had a pet horse by the name of Incitatus. The horse was his most prized possession and closest friend, and he treated Incitatus as lavishly as he did himself. According to some ancient sources, the horse lived in a manger made of ivory and his stall was of chiseled marble. Incitatus even had his own house, which was staffed by a collection of slaves that were charged with keeping the horse as comfortable as possible. He had free reign over the furniture, lush purple blankets to keep him warm, and a jeweled necklace made from the finest stones. Some reports say that Caligula, disenchanted by the Roman senate, was planning on making Incitatus an official consul with the authority to negotiate with foreign dignitaries. Unfortunately, this moment in history never got to occur because Caligula didn't live long enough to make it happen.
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  (#7) Queen Isabella Of Spain Was Fascinated By Parrots From The New World

  Parrots are some of the most beautiful birds in nature, and humans have been fascinated by these animals for millennia. The Egyptians worshipped parrots, and the Romans would build ornate aviaries to house parrots, and some would even build cages made of ivory for their personal pets. When Columbus first returned in 1493 from his voyage across the Atlantic, he presented two Cuban Amazon parrots to Queen Isabella as a royal gift. She became fascinated by the birds and would later send letters asking for more. She wrote, "send us as many falcons [parrots] as can be sent from there, and specimens of all the types of birds that are and can be collected there, because we want to see all of them."
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  (#8) A Chinese Emperor Invented The First Goldfish Bowl

  Fish can be as fascinating as they are beautiful, and people in ancient China knew to respect these aquatic creatures. An emperor named Zhu Yuanzhang, also referred to as the Hongwu Emperor, is quite possibly the first in history to develop a fishbowl that allowed him to keep his pets in his house. He founded a porcelain company that was charged with designing a massive, bowl-shaped tub for his goldfish. The company obliged, and created what is considered to be the first fishbowl. The bowls were not the most sanitary creations, but they did their job well enough.
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  (#3) The Wives Of Antiquity Preferred Their Lap-Dogs To Their Husbands

  The ancient Greeks and Romans absolutely loved dogs, even revering them to a certain extent. They were admired for their loyalty and gentle spirits, as well as their hunting prowess and work skills. Working dogs were not the only popular canines of the time, however. Lap-dogs were incredibly common, and the most popular was a breed known as the Melitaean.

  Due to their intense popularity, these dogs were heavily imported from a small island off the coast of Italy. This breed is no longer in existence, but we know what they looked like because the ancients left behind plenty of illustrations. They were small and white with a lot of fluff and a pointed nose. Some ancient scholars wrote about the extreme love people felt for these animals. It was said that a woman would gladly see her husband die if it meant saving her dog. 
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  (#9) Gelada

  • Theropithecus gelada

  It might seem like a bad idea to keep a wild ape in your house, but that didn't matter to the ancient Romans. Scholars have claimed that the most common pet apes were likely the Barbary macaques of North Africa and the geladas of Ethiopia. Many were trained to do extraordinary tasks including playing rudimentary instruments, dancing on command, and even riding goats. Some skilled monkeys could even chuck spears while riding a goat.

  Pet monkeys were a fairly regular sight, although not everyone was a fan of these troublesome simians. Many people found them to be a great annoyance and a sign of an overly luxurious lifestyle, yet their owners considered their apes a member of the family. Young boys would play with the monkeys like you would a dog, and some were kept on leashes and taken out in public.
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  (#5) Ancient Greek Women Were Quite Fond Of Birds, Especially Ducks And Geese

  In some ancient cultures, it was as common to have a bird in your house as it is to have a cat or dog today. Ancient Greek women were particularly fond of their pet birds, with many species commonly kept in the house as domestic animals. The most popular were ducks and geese, with some women having dozens of them as their personal pets. There are preserved images on ancient pottery that show ducks not just in the home, but hiding under dinner tables and other parts of the house. They were given as much freedom as modern cats or dogs, and as much love. 

  Birds were seen as more of a woman's pet in those days, but there was quite a wide diversity of birds available to them: there is evidence that people kept chickens, roosters, herons, cranes, quails, swans, and other birds as pets throughout archeological record.

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