Battle Elephants and Flaming Foxes: Animals in the Roman World

by Caroline Freeman-Cuerden

From the hooves of chariot horses pounding the dust of the racetrack to the cries of elephants charging the battlefields, animals were a key part of Roman life.

On memorials left to beloved dogs or in images of arena animals hammered onto coins, their stories and roles in Roman history are there for us to find.

Why did the emperor Augustus always have a seal skin nearby?
What was the most dangerous part of a chariot race?
How could a wolf help with toothache?

Take a gallop into the Roman world of chariot horses, battle elephants and rampaging rhinos. In the ancient world a bear could be weaponised and venomous snakes could change the course of a battle at sea. If you want to know exactly how to boil a crane (and who doesn’t?) or how to use eels to commit murder, the Romans have the answer. They wove animals into poetry, sacrificed them and slaughtered thousands in their arenas, while animal skins reinforced shields and ivory decorated the hilts of their swords.

From much-loved dogs to talking ravens, Battle Elephants and Flaming Foxes discovers who the Romans really were through the fascinating relationships they had with the creatures they lived and died alongside.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 26, 2023

Reviews

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Battle Elephants and Flaming Foxes is one of those books that make you realise that humankind hasn't changed all that much since the time of the ancients. Or at least our relationship to animals hasn't changed much. We still consider dogs to be our best friend, we still watch races whether they're horses or fast cars and we still keep cats around to hunt vermin and keep us company.

Animals were everywhere in the ancient Roman world and that's what this book is all about. From elephants to wolves to birds to lions to snakes, cats and much more, they all had a part to play and the author takes us all to see what they exactly meant to the ancient Romans. I especially loved learning more about the elephants and dolphins. It's not all fun because a lot of these animals were heavily mistreated, something that still happens today but these things need to be told.

I also loved all the fun little facts that the author also incorporated in this book. Like how a nickname from the Romans to dolphins was "snubnose" and how they even helped humans fish, something that also happens these days in some countries. Snubnose is now my new favorite word and a new obsession has been unlocked.

It's clear that so much research must've gone into this book because of the amount of different animals it was about and how their relationship with humans and vice versa worked. I have a fondness for elephants and dogs but I've always loved all kinds of animals so this book was a real joy for me to read. Animals played a much bigger role to the ancient world than you'd think because even I was surprised at some of the things I learned in this book. I'd highly recommend it!

[Bryony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FLAMING GOOD READ!

Wow, what a read! Never having been ‘academic’ of mind – or, indeed, that much interested in history – this book blew me away. The author’s writing makes it so accessible, with her lightness of touch and humorous way of putting things. It’s as if she’s in the room with me, chatting, rather than just starkly imparting facts for facts’ sake. She definitely has a way with words.

And goodness me, this book is bursting with facts. Unknown to me until now. That horses can be seasick! Wine-drinking parrots! And who knew the Roman word for “little mouse” meant muscle? A staggering amount of research has gone into this book. The author’s attention to detail is nothing less than astonishing.

Okay, I won’t pretend that all of it makes for easy reading for animal lovers - this is a history of animals from 2,000 years ago - looking at people – and animals - in the context of their time. BUT, hooray, amidst all the horrors there are deeply touching stories to be found. Check out the only recorded protest to an animal display at the Colosseum. The Kneeling Deer. The poem to The Tamed Lion. The ode to a pet Sparrow. Yes, there is poetry too! Not to mention the famous talking Raven. How dolphins were loved and revered. And Plutarch was possibly the Peter Singer of the Roman era?

The author highlights many of the more positive relationships the Romans had with their animals - Check out the Emperor Hadrian’s poem to his beloved horse. The beautiful epitaph to the fifteen- year-old dog Patricius - and this book simply serves as a reminder that animals were there too and therefore part of human history. She puts animals in the spotlight, which for me is a unique take on history!

I found it so easy to become completely immersed in this book and found it utterly enthralling. The fact that it has already had a full page spread in The Times, surely says it all? And yet of course it doesn’t. Because it has to be read in full. On the back sleeve of the book, it says the animals’ stories and roles in Roman history “are there for us to find”. Well, the author has found them and we can find them too. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

[J Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think what made this book different to other history books for me was that it is clearly a serious history book but written in such an accessible and fun style. I found myself dipping in and out at any page or section and there was literally something interesting on every page. There are real parallels with how we relate to animals today, which added another dimension to the book. I was really interested to read about the 'celebrity animals', why a particular lion or rhino went down in Roman history. The battle descriptions and the role that animals played in war are informative but exciting to read. Parts of the book also moved me. On a different note, I didn't know anything about the Roman authors who wrote about animals but this writer has a way of bringing the Romans to life and the appendix at the back of the book made the Roman writers seem like real people and not a load of stuffy figures from the past.
Basically if you're interested in elephants, wolves, dogs, leopards, dolphins and bears and you love good story telling and fascinating history - this book does the job!

[Kate Hickling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is so informative and packed with fascinating facts and stories about the relationships that the Romans had with animals. The research that has gone into the book is incredible; the author has translated many ancient Latin texts and she has also provided thoughtful insights about the animals that have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum archaeological sites. Despite the horror of some of this history I chuckled my way through the pages like I have never done before reading a history book (the author has a dry and mischievous wit). The book opens with a chapter on elephants, whom the Romans were really mean to – do look out for a poor dim-witted elephant in this chapter whose story broke my heart. However, it is not all violence and status trophies, there are some wonderful descriptions of the bond between humans and animals with parallels drawn between then and now (think Christian the lion or Opo the dolphin). This book deserves more than 5 stars, it was a wonderful & engaging read and I have learnt so much from it.

[Bookish Owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great and new way of looking at the Romans and who they were. It actually makes you feel closer to the Romans as real people - there are descriptions of relationships with horses and dogs, for example which show us how animals connect us with the past and have been the constant companions of humankind. Some of the dog epitaphs describe exactly how we feel about dogs today. On the other hand there are some pretty tough scenes on the battlefields and in the amphitheatres! I especially loved the chariot horse chapter and the fact it was like the "Formula One" of the Roman world, the descriptions are exciting and the book feels more like someone chatting to you than a scholarly slog.

[Tabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so well researched and full of really interesting information and facts. As an animal lover it is a great read to see just how animals played their part in human history. It covers all sorts: wolves, scorpions, cats, horses, dogs, dolphins, whales, snakes, leopards, lions, rhinos, elephants, birds even ants! But reading about these animals in the context of the Roman world gives a whole different insight. Sometimes you're on the battlefield, sometimes you're at the chariot races, at sea, in the Colosseum or at Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted. The author takes you all over the Roman world, introduces you to emperors and ordinary citizens, but always through the context of animals. I found it highly readable, fascinating stories and really accessible. What struck me too were the Roman voices which fill the pages, the Romans seem to have left so much writing about animals in their world and this author has opened it all up to the modern reader.
Highly recommended if only to read about the tamed lion who was immortalised for the Romans after his turn in the arena at the Colosseum!

[Susannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting look at animals in the Roman world. The first part is set out like a bestiary looking at different animals that were important in Roman culture like wolves, elephants, dogs etc. The second part looks at the functions that animals had in Roman society so there is a chapter on beauty and fashion, medicine, pets, military.

There is so much information in this book, Pliny has been used extensively as he wrote Natural History so had lots to say on animals. In some ways the Romans seem far removed from us with slaughtering thousands of animals through sacrificing and in amphitheaters, although animal fighting does go on in other parts of the world today, but in other ways they are similar in that they had pets who they buried and put up memorials for, they used animals in cosmetics. I liked the part about philosophy and the different arguments there were for how animals should be treated and if they should be eaten at all.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

After hearing the author talk about the book on the Ancients podcast, I immediately added it to the wishlist. Finally bought it, right after watching Gladiator II, as it was all I could think about. I do wish there was more about animals in the areas as the episode kinda gave me that impression. In reality, it’s only a chapter and then the rest of the book covers animals in all aspects of Roman life. The first half of the book covers the ideas, stories and myths of specific groups of animals held by the Romans. After my initial disappointment, I did find this book extremely enjoyable, a fun read mixed with really awful stories of animal abuse and torture, so it’s a wild ride.

[Seolhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars

Could a book be more up my alley?

The premise of this book is great, and the actual writing is breezy and fun.
As an animal lover, there are certainly parts that are difficult to read about (crucified dogs, animal sacrifice, vivisection and the countless, gruesome ways animals were slaughtered in the arena all feature in the book), but it also has plenty of more wholesome animal content to balance things out a bit.

[Craig Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book, makes you realise how alike the romans we in someways