Images

Facsimile of a painting of foreigners bearing tribute in the form of timber, ebony, ivory and animals. On the far right, a man carrying ebony leads a cheetah on a leash. Behind him walks a man with timber and an animal (possibly an aardvark...

A courtship scene depicting a Greek man giving a pet hare to his beloved as a gift. Red-figure vase painting. Tame hares and rabbits were often given as gifts during courtships, as a token of affection. Attributed to "The Kleophrades Painter"...

A marble stele depicting a young girl saying farewell to her pet doves as she gently holds them. Doves were popular animals in ancient Greece and frequently appeared in mythology and literature. Greek, Parian marble. Made c. 450-440 BCE...

Close-up of a red-figure vase painting depicting a music lesson. In this section, two men play music while a boy and cat (alternately identified as a young panther) sit on the side. Attributed to "The Agrigento Painter". Produced in Attica...

A red-figure vase painting depicting a bearded man with his pet cheetah. The man holds a walking stick in one hand, and with the other he leads the cheetah by a red leash connected to its collar. Attributed to the painter Apollodorus. Produced...

A red-figure vase painting of the Trojan prince (and cup-bearer to the god Zeus) Ganymede, playing with a hoop and rooster, or game-cock. The presence of a game-cock may be representative of Ganymede's relationship with Zeus, as men in ancient...

A Hellenistic statuette of a little boy with a pet rooster or game-cock. Roosters were common pets in ancient Greece, often given to children as playmates, or given to lovers as tokens of affection. Terracotta. 2nd Century BCE, Pontus. Height...

A facsimile of a painting from the Tomb of Sennedjem, in Deir el-Medina. The painting depicts a cat killing a serpent and is associated with a sequence in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. The original painting was made c. 1295-1213 BCE. The...

This terracotta figurine of Cybele depicts her seated on a throne with a lion on her lap. She wears a mural crown which symbolises her patronage over the city and its defensive walls. A patera (libation-bowl) and tympanon (hand-drum) are...

Terracotta group of Zeus carrying Ganymede from Troy to Olympus. Corinthian workshop, beginning of 5th century BCE. Olympia Archaeological Museum, Greece.