Big Cats For The Fat Cats Of Ancient Rome
Emperor Caracalla kept a favorite lion, Acinaces, as a pet, but not all Romans’ obsession for big feline predators boded well for the animals. “It is believed that a dying lion bites the earth and surrenders a tear upon its death” wrote the Roman author Pliny and he related how lions are terrified of chariot wheels and fire. He recommended that if they refuse to eat, tying a live monkey to a lion’s body worked it up to a frenzy and once the monkey’s blood was tasted, it restored their appetite. He also noted lion fat mixed with rose oil was used to moisturize the skin and keep the complexion clear – that of humans, not lions’.
A tiger against a wild ass, the gladiator mosaic at the Roman villa in Nennig, Germany (Public Domain)
Showing Off Feline Predators in the Arena
However, it was on the sands of the arena that the big cats of ancient Rome really left their mark - and blood - in history. The Emperor Augustus was always keen to show off anything peculiar that was brought to Rome. In 11 BC he did just that with a tiger, exhibiting the animal on a stage at the dedication of the Theatre of Marcellus, giving Rome its first sight of this magnificent animal.
