An elephant on a Roman mosaic
Ancient Romans weren’t as passionate about hunting as the Greeks. They treated it more as a sport and entertainment than an educational element. Hunting provided movement and exercise.
Usually hunted on non-working days (otium). They hunted mainly hares, wild boars and birds using the most effective and simplest methods, including traps and various traps.
A great example of such an approach is Pliny the Younger’s account of his hunt. In “Letters”, Pliny talks about his hunting trophies and the calm with which he watched the hunt from the viewer’s point of view. As he says “next to me there was neither a spear nor a spear, but… a stylus and a writing board”. In addition, he advised the addressee to take food, a bottle and something to write on for a similar trip.
Animals and hunting in the Roman world
- Winniczuk Lidia, Ludzie, zwyczaje i obyczaje starożytnej Grecji i Rzymu, PWN, Warszawa
