 What's New!  Detailed Sitemap   To the Italian visitors of my
web site  A Roman Bestiary   Bestiary is a medieval treatise on
beasts and this page briefly deals with the sculptures and
reliefs showing animals in the streets of Rome. The ancient
Romans were very fond of statues and reliefs showing hunting
scenes, including scenes where the hunter was an animal; they
were also interested in statues of exotic animals. In medieval
times the representation of animals was rather limited and
linked to religious symbols (flocks of sheep and the symbols of
three of the four Evangelists: an eagle, a bull and a lion). In
the XIVth century Italy gradually became an important actor in
Mediterranean trade and this led to bringing to the richest
trading centers (Florence and Venice) exotic animals which were
then exhibited. During the Renaissance each Italian court had a
serraglio (menagerie) and an aviary. The discovery of Roman
buildings having rooms entirely decorated with paintings and
mosaics showing birds or wild ani