Animals for Show and Pleasure in Ancient Rome

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Animals for Show and Pleasure in Ancient Rome (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1937)

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An “oldie but goodie,” Jennison details the numerous ways the ancient Romans put animals on display and used animals for entertainment in amphitheaters all over the Roman empire. Very detailed if somewhat dry, but an excellent source including references to his sources in ancient texts in the margins. I think Jennison’s book would be helpful to anyone wanting to become acquainted with the primary text evidence for animals in the ancient arena, tracing animal “actors,” so to speak, from the ancient world to the circuses and sideshows of the late 19th and early 20th c., or engaged in parallels for the critiquing of contemporary zoos’ use of animals for education and entertainment. - SUSAN A. CURRY