Birds in the Ancient World: Winged Words

Description

Birds pervaded the ancient world, impressing their physical presence on the daily experience and imaginations of ordinary people and figuring prominently in literature and art. They provided a fertile source of symbols and stories in myths and folklore and were central to the ancient rituals of augury and divination. Jeremy Mynott's Birds in the Ancient World illustrates the many different roles birds played in culture: as indicators of time, weather and the seasons; as a resource for hunting, eating, medicine and farming; as domestic pets and entertainments; and as omens and intermediaries between the gods and humankind. We learn how birds were perceived - through quotations from well over a hundred classical Greek and Roman authors, all of them translated freshly into English, through nearly 100 illustrations from ancient wall-paintings, pottery and mosaics, and through selections from early scientific writings, and many anecdotes and descriptions from works of history, geography and travel. Jeremy Mynott acts as a stimulating guide to this rich and fascinating material, using birds as a prism through which to explore both the similarities and the often surprising differences between ancient conceptions of the natural world and our own. His book is an original contribution to the flourishing interest in the cultural history of birds and to our understanding of the ancient cultures in which birds played such a prominent part. Cover......Page 1 Birds in the Ancient World......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Preface......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Contents ......Page 12 Notes for Readers......Page 14 List of Illustrations......Page 16 Timeline......Page 19 Maps of the Classical World in the First Century AD......Page 21 Greece, Rome, and the Aegean......Page 23 Part 1. Birds in the Natural World......Page 26 Introduction......Page 28 1. The Seasons......Page 32 2. Weather......Page 46 3. Time......Page 58 4. Soundscapes......Page 68 Part 2. Birds as a Resource......Page 90 Introduction......Page 92 5. Hunting and Fowling......Page 96 6. Cooking and Eating......Page 116 7. Farming......Page 134 Part 3. Living with Birds......Page 152 Introduction......Page 154 8. Captivity and Domestication......Page 156 9. Sports and enterainments......Page 176 10. Relationships and Responsibilities......Page 192 Part 4. Invention and Discovery......Page 212 Introduction......Page 214 11. Wonders......Page 216 12. Medicine......Page 230 13. Observation and Enquiry......Page 244 Part 5. Thinking with Birds......Page 268 Introduction......Page 270 14. Omens and Auguries......Page 274 15. Magic and Metamorphosis......Page 292 16. Signs and Symbols......Page 310 Part 6. Birds as Intermediaries......Page 328 Introduction......Page 330 17. Fabulous Creatures......Page 332 18. Messengers and Mediators......Page 348 19. Mother Erath......Page 360 20. Epilogue......Page 374 Appendix: Some Bird Lists from Ancient Sources......Page 388 Biographies of Authors Quotes......Page 394 Endnotes......Page 414 1. The Seasons......Page 415 2. Weather......Page 416 4. Soundscapes......Page 417 5. Hunting and Fowling......Page 420 7. Farming......Page 421 8. Captivity and Domestication......Page 422 9. Sports and entertainments......Page 424 10. Relationships and Responsibilities......Page 426 11. Wonders......Page 428 12. Medicine......Page 429 13. Observation and Enquiry......Page 430 14. Omens and Auguries......Page 432 15. Magic and Metamorphosis......Page 434 16. Signs and Symbols......Page 435 17. Fabulous Creatures......Page 437 18. Messengers and Mediators......Page 438 20. Epilogue......Page 439 Appendix......Page 440 Bibliography ......Page 442 Picture Credits......Page 452 Publisher's Acknowledgements......Page 454 Index of Birds......Page 456 Genearl Index......Page 464