Pets: Touching Roman Grave

[guy]

During these crazy COVID times, we all need some positivity:

 

 

Quote

@TrimontiumTrust

In the National Archaeological Museum in #Madrid, #Spain is this touching #Roman grave of a child, shown with a pet dog (or rabbit) and a bird - birds and dogs were popular pets. a translation of the inscription suggests it reads 'May the earth be light to you / Canula lies here

 

 

Summary: We can find benevolence and the better part of our humanity even during difficult times, both past and present.

 

 

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited October 26, 2021 by guy

[caldrail]

Yes, Rome was a very family-centric society. Okay, maybe this was more important for families with some money in the belt, but I note from Pompeii and Herculaneum that pets were never far away. That said, I also notice that pets don't generally get mentioned in the sources except for perhaps the odd case of something unusual or something touted as evidence of divine favour. I suppose this is partly down to Rome's attitude toward animals. Love them or whip them, they were animals, unable to decide for themselves and bound to human direction (this was why slaves had the same status). Except for funerary items like this, which give a little insight that status was not entirely a fixed view, rather one that varied according to the emotional needs of the owner. After all, there were plenty of men who freed slaves in order to marry them.

Edited January 8, 2021 by caldrail

[guy]

Thank you for reading my post:

 

Professor Tom remarked on this grave monument: 

Quote

Canula probably is [the deceased child's] nickname meaning “(female) puppy” (canis = dog).

STL is the standard gravestone abbr. for “sit terra levis” (may the earth be light [for you]).

I wondered what the "STL" inscription meant. Thank you, Dr. Tom.

 

 

Edited January 8, 2021 by guy

[guy]

See post below.

 

 

Edited January 8, 2021 by guy

[guy]

26 minutes ago, caldrail said:

Yes, Rome was a very family-centric society. Okay, maybe this was more important for families with some money in the belt, but I note from Pompeii and Herculaneum that pets were never far away. That said, I also notice that pets don't generally get mentioned in the sources except for perhaps the odd case of something unusual or something touted as evidence of divine favour. I suppose this is partly down to Rome's attitude toward animals. Love them or whip them, they were animals, unable to decide for themselves and bound to human direction (this was why slaves had the same status). Except for funerary items like this, which give a little insight that status was not entirely a fixed view, rather one that varied according to the emotional needs of the owner. 

This is from a gravestone from the Getty Villa in California:

 

 

[Crispina]

Yes, very touching.