ABSTRACT
In the Roman Empire, there was increased interest in animals and their status in relation to humans.1 This interest was dependent on a general expansion of knowledge during the empire and was closely linked to imperial expansion, which led to the development of encyclopaedic knowledge in many fields, for instance in zoology. But more important for the present purpose, this interest in animals was also nourished by the growing interest in man and his personality and characteristics. Animals were used to describe humans and, not least, to be a contrast to them so that humans were set apart as something special and close to the gods.
