Animals in Ancient Greece: The History of the Roles that Different Animals Played in Greek Societies

To many in the ancient world, their gods and goddesses were all around them and could be seen daily in nature, which meant that nearly every kind of animal, both domestic and wild, was associated with a god or goddess. In places like Egypt and Greece, deities and other mythological characters were often depicted with human bodies and animal heads, and various Greek religious rituals relied on sacrificing animals. There were approximately 1,500 Greek city-states (poleis) in the Classical er...