Crucified Dogs and Sacred Chickens: 9 Facts About Animals in Ancient Rome

Nine Bizarre Facts About Animals In Ancient Rome. The Sacred Geese That Saved Rome. Before Rome was at the head of a powerful empire, they were just one regional power among many in Italy. A tribe of warlike ghouls were marauding around Italy and decided to besiege the city of Rome in hopes of winning booty. The Romans wisely retreated to the Capitoline Hill and dug in. In the middle of a starlit night, the ghouls sent their best warriors to ascend the Capitoline Hill in near silence. The men assigned to guard the ascent were asleep. The Romans also had guard dogs, but they too failed to hear the Gallic warriors preparing their attack. The Romans were about to be slaughtered in their sleep, possibly ending the Roman civilization before it even really began. Luckily for them, there were geese present on the Capitoline Hill which were sacred to the goddess Juno. The geese heard the ghouls, so honked and flapped their wings so loudly that the Romans were startled awake. They rushed to arms and managed to repel the Gallic attack from the Capitoline Hill. The ghouls weren't able to completely conquer the city, so had to settle for a big payout of gold, all thanks to the sacred geese of Juno. The Romans never forgave the guard dogs for not waking up whilst the Gallic warriors were climbing up the Capitoline Hill, ready to slaughter the Romans in their sleep. Every year on August the 3rd, Roman holy men would parade around the city with dogs impaled on wooden forks, similar to a crucifixion. These poor dogs obviously were not the guard dogs that failed to bark. They were unfortunately chosen at random, often doing nothing wrong. On the other hand, the sacred geese, the ones who warned the Romans about the ghouls ascending the Capitoline Hill, were carried around on ornate litters like they were kings. They were even decorated with gold and purple garments as a reward for honking and flapping their wing. Canine Tombstones Although the Romans occasionally crucified their dogs, the vast majority of Roman dog owners loved their canine companions. This mosaic from Pompeii is the oldest Beware of the Dog sign ever found, showing that the Romans kept guard dogs for similar reasons that many people do today. But Roman dog owners adored their pets, and would often pay for expensive tombstones when they died, leaving touching inscriptions. One owner said, Before engaging in naval battles, Roman admirals were expected to consult the gods to see whether it was appropriate to attack. The gods worked in mysterious ways, however. The appropriate medium was through sacred chickens kept in a special coop. No one was to eat the chickens. That was sacrilege. Before a huge naval battle against their bitter enemies, the Carthaginians, the Roman admiral Publius Claudius Pulcher consulted the sacred chickens. He threw down some corn and waited. If the chickens ate the corn, the Romans would win the battle. The chickens did not eat. Publius stood there, unfazed. He said, He then ordered that the sacred chickens be thrown into the sea. This proved unwise. The gods punished him dearly, as the Romans suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Drapana. The Roman politician Cicero later said about the event, The horse that almost became a consul. The Roman emperor Caligula was mad. Not only did he declare war on the sea, but he also planned to make his horse a consul. Incutatus was the emperor's favourite horse. Not only did he live in a marble stable, have 18 personal servants, but he ate oats with gold leaf mixed in. Caligula made Incutatus a priest and planned to make him a consul, which was the most powerful position a Roman senator could hope to obtain. Some historians have suggested that Caligula, far from thinking that Incutatus would make a good magistrate, planned to make the horse a consul as a snub to the senators whom he hated. He was basically saying to the rich old men, I'm so powerful, and you're so insignificant to me, that I can make my horse more important than you'll ever be. And he was right. The Roman general Sertorius led a breakaway Roman government in Spain. He was a capable man and knew how to manipulate his men and the native Spanish using the power of religion. One of his followers spotted an unusual white fawn and decided to gift the animal to the Roman general. Sertorius trained the animal, eventually getting the fawn to respond to his call and come prancing to him. Eventually he announced to his soldiers and followers that the fawn was sent to him from the goddess Diana and that the goddess communicated to Sertorius via the baby deer. Whenever his spies revealed an enemy attack or he got wind of an allied military victory, he would pretend that the fawn was the one who told him direct from the goddess Diana. As you can imagine, many of his followers believed that their general Sertorius had divine backing. The Climbing Cow In 217 BC, the formidable general Hannibal Barca was causing havoc in Italy. His army frightened the Romans to their core and many of them thought that the end was near. But daily life had to continue. The Forum Boarium was a cattle market in the city of Rome and a very busy one at that. One day, however, a terrible omen struck the people of Rome. One of the cows from the Forum Boarium had escaped and had begun climbing one of the apartment blocks opposite the market. It made its way to the third floor before anyone had even noticed. A large crowd gathered around, but this just spooked the animal. The cow then lost its footing and fell to its untimely death. The Romans took this as a sign from the gods that Hannibal Barca meant trouble. Perhaps they were right. In only the next few years, tens of thousands of Romans would lie dead on the battlefield against the capable Carthaginian general. The Sacred Spring Ancient cities could easily become overpopulated. The land around ancient cities could only produce so much food, so if there was a population boom, people could very well die of starvation if they weren't careful. The solution was to send out colonists to found brand new cities and lands far enough away as to not drain the resources from the mother city. This new settlement would usually remain loyal to the mother city. The Samnites were a neighboring tribe of the Romans and were eventually incorporated into their republic. Instead of sending off willing colonists, the Samnites would often send an entire generation of boys to start a new colony and they called this the Sacred Spring. You might be wondering how they knew where to settle their new city. They would follow an animal seen as an omen from the gods and settle a brand new city where the animal first laid to rest. This is why the Samnite capital city was called Bovianum, literally the city of the cow. Some scholars have suggested that this is the true explanation for the foundation of Rome, whereby Romulus and Remus, rather than being suckled by a she-wolf, were colonists that followed the wolf to a new location to found Rome. But it should be noted that this is a contended theory. The Eel Pit Eels are carnivorous fish that bore into the flesh of their prey. Bizarrely, rich Romans occasionally kept eels as pets. Vettius Pollio was a personal friend of the Emperor Augustus, but became cruel later on in life. To maintain discipline among his many slaves, he would chuck a misbehaving slave into a pit of eels. The slave would then be torn to bits whilst drowning in the muddy water. Another Roman by the name of Lucius Lucinius Crassus, a fantastic name, wept when he was told the news that his beloved lamprey had died. Another senator, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, also a fantastic name, mocked Crassus for his behaviour. Not taking it lying down, Crassus retorted, Did you not bury three wives without ever shedding a tear? Crassus loved his pet lamprey more than Domitius mourned for his dead wives. Thank you for watching 9 Bizarre Facts about Animals in Ancient Rome. If you're curious to read more about these animal facts, I have listed the sources used to make this video in the description. Just copy the reference into the search engine of your choice and read away.