Extremely interesting Roman mosaic showing the scene of a donkey being fed by a man. The object is dated to the 5th century CE; now the artifact is in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum (Turkey).
It is worth mentioning that the donkey was a sacred animal of the goddess Vesta. During the Vestalia festival (June 7-15), the animal was decorated with flowers and a necklace made of pieces of bread. The animal was then led through the streets of the city to be appreciated. The Romans celebrated an event in mythology – the saving of Vesta by a roaring donkey from being raped by Priapus. Donkeys were also valued for their hard work in the mills.
