Random Fascinating Pets Of Ancient World (10 items)

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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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  (#1) The Indigenous People Of Pre-Columbian America Had Unique Dog Breeds, Many Of Which Still Exist Today

  Dogs can be found pretty much anywhere humans have settled, and that includes pre-Columbian America. Before the Europeans came over, Native Americans lived with domestic dogs that had genetic roots in Asia. It is likely that Asian migrants traveling across the ancient Bering Land Bridge from Russia to Alaska brought their canine companions along for the journey. Many of those breeds survive today, including the Alaskan Malamute, the Inuit sled dog, the Chihuahua, the Xoloitzcuintli, Greenland dogs, and the Peruvian hairless dog.

  Amazingly, genetic testing has shown that these native breeds have been exposed to very little interbreeding with the European dogs that arrived with the first settlers. They are still relatively pure breeds even after centuries of cohabitation.
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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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  (#10) Ancient Egyptians Owned Baboons As Pets, But They Were Often Mistreated

  While history is full of animal lovers, the sad truth is that many pets of the past were terribly mistreated. Take the baboons of ancient Egypt for example. Archeologists have found evidence that baboons and other simians used to live in close proximity with humans in Egypt. Baboons were often kept as religious symbols, and other monkeys were more commonly owned as pets.

  Unfortunately, the evidence also shows that these animals were often treated brutally. Many were discovered to be buried with broken bones, and others showed signs that their bones had been repeatedly fractured only to heal and be broken again. It is believed that this abuse was inflicted on the animals as a form of punishment for a misdeed. Forensic archeologists can even tell that some of the apes tried to shield their heads from the punishment by analyzing the breaks in the arms. However, ancient Egyptians did start treating their baboons better: only the oldest baboons showed these signs of abuse, and over time it's clear that the animals were treated less harshly.
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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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  (#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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