Ancient Egyptian cats had a sacred status in because of the religious beliefs of Egyptian society. Stray cat colony in ancient Roman temple is declared a health hazard . In a square block of ancient, sunken ruins in Rome, a group of people smile and laugh as they look down onto the archeological site known as the Largo di Torre Argentina. ROME. Part 2. About 4000 to 5000 years ago cats were domesticated and accepted members of the households of Egypt. For many decades the stray cats of Rome, including the ones at Torre Argentina, were cared for by ‘gattare’ (cat ladies) who would feed and care for them on an irregular basis. Italy is home to 7.5 million cats. Birds and dogs were more popular than cats, though if you walk the streets of Rome or Athens today, you’d think cats had taken over the world. Cats were first domesticated in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Tourists from all over the world travel there to witness such important sites as the Theater of Pompey, the place where Julius Caesar was famously murdered. Dogs were perhaps the most popular, and held favor with all classes. Middle Eastern species of cats were domesticated in Egypt about 10,000 years ago and while various other animals were also considered sacred, cats had a special status among those animals. Fun Facts: I am personally a lover of cats, but apparently they were not popular in Ancient Rome. One familiar creature that does not turn up often, surprisingly, is the cat. The real battles of ancient Rome started soon after the establishment of the Roman Republic, although initially the battles were in the form of small scale clashes, and intensified with the passage of time. Cats continue to freely roam the ancient ruins of metropolitan Rome today, thousands of years after they were left behind by the fallen empire. 15 Of The Strangest Customs From Ancient Rome. Cats enjoyed life in ancient Rome almost as much as they did in Egypt as Latin authors and Roman graves depicting grief-stricken cat owners attest. Rome, Italy is a city steeped in rich history. The Norse goddess Freyja, deity of love, fertility, war, wealth, divination and magic, rode in a chariot pulled by two giant gray cats given to her by the god Thor. Togas were a sign of wealth, not everyday dress. The city council even went so far as to protect the cats, in 2001 naming cats living in the Coliseum, the Forum and Torre Argentina a … In 1994, volunteers took over and began spaying or neutering as many cats as possible to control the population, setting up the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. These rodents eventually attracted the cats to these food supplies, not for the grain of course, but for the ample supply of rats and mice. The Romans indeed led the way in the race to develop the most elaborate and, by our modern standards, weird and shocking rituals and customs. The Ancient Roman Empire was a military empire and therefore battles and wars were an essential feature of ancient Rome. There is a deep-rooted affection for these cats who have an ancient bond with the city. They certainly appreciated them more than the Greeks did. 1) Rome was founded in 753BC by its first king, Romulus. It grew into a rich and powerful city during the next few hundred years. Pets in Ancient Rome. Known for their extravagant city and equally lavish lifestyle, Ancient Romans developed a strong and lavish relationship with their pets. Facts about the Romans. The cats have lived in the region for ages and have become an essential part of the town. From servals to the mighty lion, cats were seen as powerful forces for both protection and destruction. You can also adopt them at distance. Discover who we are A little bit of History Healthcare. For the lower classes, dogs were practical pets: Rome didn’t have a police force as we know it today, so guard dogs would have been valuable to defend against intruders. This is a really interesting question and one that is quite difficult to answer because the popularity of cats in Ancient Rome is mysterious. Prior to 79 AD, it had not caught on as a fashionable thing to own. The ancient ruins serve yet another purpose these days. Discover Rome and its cats. Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Romans primary resource? The role of cats, fish and birds. THE END Different Pets Roman Pets Besides having dogs and birds as pets, Romans also kept ferrets, fish, snakes, and even small monkeys. Cats were really only kept extensively in Egypt and lands influenced by Egyptian culture. Instead, ferrets, birds and monkeys were the most favored pets in Rome, with ferrets acting as a pest control measure against rats and mice. But by 300 AD, domesticated cats were everywhere throughout the Ancient Roman Empire. Torre Argentina is home to 150 feline friends, sheltered amongst the oldest temples in Rome (400-300 BC). Poena cullei (from Latin 'penalty of the sack') under Roman law was a type of death penalty imposed on a subject who had been found guilty of parricide.The punishment consisted of being sewn up in a leather sack, with an assortment of live animals including a dog, snake, monkey, and a chicken or rooster, and then being thrown into water. Strangely, although the Egyptians had revered cats as god-like creatures and cats in Italy today are a favourite pet, there is no evidence amongst writings about ancient Roman animals that cats were a particularly prized animal. Largest prehistoric cats: Ngandong tiger size comparison (vs Amur tiger and Bengal tiger). In Rome the cats have an ancient temple-complex all to themselves.. They came to Ancient Rome through traders and travellers from those areas. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 colonies in the city that have up to 300,000 cats. Ferrets Cats Fish became popular at the beginning of the second century. Pets in Ancient Rome Like Greeks, Romans favored birds and dogs as pets, and ignored cats, though it is said that Spartacus chose cats as a symbol of his rebellion, since they were associated with the goddess of freedom, Libertas, for their independent spirit. In ancient Rome, cats served a more utilitarian purpose. Cats were sacred animals and the goddess Bastet was often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the war-like aspect of a lioness. The theater and four nearby temples are … Photo by Pat Grove. Today there are more than 2000 colonies of feral cats in the city, populated with an estimated 300,000 individuals. Priesthood - Priesthood - Ancient Greece and Rome: The ancient Greeks were devoid of hierarchical institutions composed of men and women through whom the gods were approached, though priests and priestesses could be found in many places engaging in specific sacerdotal functions and ritual acts. Cats were the only animal allowed in Roman temples. Part 1 . Shelter. Cats. 1. On the other hand, cats weren't so popular in Ancient Rome. If kept at all it is likely their value was in helping prevent the spread of rodents. The Egyptians were the first to keep and use cats to hunt fish and birds as well as to destroy the rodents that infested the grain stocks along the Nile. “Stray cats in Rome have always found shelter mainly in the huge archaeological districts of the city,” explains Viviani. Many of the breeds we now know have evolved from these ancient cats. Enter. Perhaps it is this “foreign admiration” that deterred Rome from picking cats as their favorite pet. For instance, Romans considered the cat to be a the god of liberty. Enter. A famous mosaic called Cave Canem, literally translated to "beware of the dog," was found in the ruins of Pompeii. In Rome, lovable cats can be found living in ancient monuments around the city. Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is the oldest in Rome. Despite their less demonstrative nature, the Romans admired the cat almost as much as the Egyptians. 2) By AD 117 the Roman Empire included the whole of Italy, all the lands around the Mediterranean and much of Europe, including England, Wales and parts of Scotland. Cats, known in ancient Egypt as the mau, played a large role in ancient Egyptian society.They were associated with the goddesses Isis and Bastet. Today, cats are a very popular pet, but in the world of ancient Rome, they were not so adored as you might expect. Come and see us. The numerous postcards here of cats sitting on stumps of old Roman columns, cat napping on the foot of an emperor's statue, or just lounging near the Colosseum testify to the deep rooted image cats have in our city. In Ancient Egypt the Egyptians would store grain and other food supplies which would attract rodents such as rats and mice. We are the most famous cat sanctuary in italy. First, This may be due to several reasons including the fact that cats are very highly thought of and respected in Ancient Egypt. The Ngandong tiger (Panthera tigris soloensis) is an extinct subspecies of tiger which lived in what is now the Sundaland region of Indonesia during the Pleistocene epoch.Fossils of P. t. soloensis have been found primarily in the village of Ngandong, hence the common name. The Ancient Egyptians revered cats of all kinds and honoured them in their art. This documentary is about the many cats living in Rome. 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