Tag: Art History in the Ancient World

Articles

Penelope's Geese: Pets of the Ancient Greeks

Herein lies the crux of the problem, because before we talk about the pets of the Greeks, we would be wise to define what a pet actually is. A pet is generally defined as an animal kept for companionship or amusement. But what about com- panion animals that also serve a practical use such as hunt ing or guarding, as Argos did? One would also assume that humans do not eat their pets. But did Penelope ever eat her geese?