An Audience with Dr Kit Morrell - Animals in Ancient Rome
Location
Bardon Bowls Club
About
Animals in Ancient Rome
From the farmyard to the sands of the arena, animals were everywhere in ancient Rome. While many of these animals were used for human profit or food, others were kept as pets, status symbols, or even to divine the will of the gods. Animals were also a favoured theme in ancient art.
In this talk, Dr Kit Morrell will explore the rich evidence for animals in the Roman world and the range of attitudes towards animals in Roman society. Among other topics, Kit will discuss the practice of consulting sacred chickens before battle, the Roman fixation with ‘exotic beasts’, and evidence that ancient pets—feathered, furred, and finned—could be as beloved as modern ‘fur babies’.
Kit Morrell is a Roman historian. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney and is currently the Susan Blake Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Queensland. Her research and teaching focus on Rome during the late republic and early empire.
From the farmyard to the sands of the arena, animals were everywhere in ancient Rome. While many of these animals were used for human profit or food, others were kept as pets, status symbols, or even to divine the will of the gods. Animals were also a favoured theme in ancient art.
In this talk, Dr Kit Morrell will explore the rich evidence for animals in the Roman world and the range of attitudes towards animals in Roman society. Among other topics, Kit will discuss the practice of consulting sacred chickens before battle, the Roman fixation with ‘exotic beasts’, and evidence that ancient pets—feathered, furred, and finned—could be as beloved as modern ‘fur babies’.
Kit Morrell is a Roman historian. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney and is currently the Susan Blake Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Queensland. Her research and teaching focus on Rome during the late republic and early empire.