The monkey pets were found carefully buried in an animal necropolis and arranged like sleeping children. [Marta Osypinska]
Posted on 08/28/2020 11:32:25 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Ancient Romans and Egyptians imported monkeys from India as household pets, Polish archaeologists have discovered.
By examining the skeletons of monkeys buried in the animal cemetery in the Red Sea port of Berenice researchers found that the primates were rhesus macaques endemic to India, rather than some local species.
Archaeologists from the Warsaw University's Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology were in the process of excavating a vast animal cemetery when they came across the monkey skeletons.
For years they assumed they belonged to guenon species, quite common in this area.
It was only by using 3D scanners and comparing the bones with others that they made the incredible discovery.
Professor Marta Osypinska, a zooarchaeologist from the Polish Academy of Sciences, said: "We believe that the influential Romans who lived in Berenice, a faraway outpost, in the first and second, wanted to make their time pleasant with the company of various animals. Among them were also monkeys."
The pets were carefully buried in an animal necropolis and arranged like sleeping children.
Additionally, one of them was covered with a woolen fabric. The other had two large shells by their heads, including one coming from the Indian Ocean or south-eastern shores of Africa. On both sides of the animal, there were amphora fragments. In one of them there was a piece of cloth, and in the second one - a skeleton of a very young piglet, and next to it three kittens.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefirstnews.com ...
The monkey pets were found carefully buried in an animal necropolis and arranged like sleeping children. [Marta Osypinska]
and in the second one - a skeleton of a very young piglet, and next to it three kittens...
OK..I’m officially freaked out for today.
Sometimes dead is better.
Hell;;
We have one running for Vice President...
Tagline!!!
Lol
Democrats on election night
You said minkey.
Really? Humans kept pets? Who knew?
Quick. More grant money. Maybe they can figure out more earth-shattering discoveries.
Importing monkeys from India?
Ancient Rome issued H1B visas?
Ancient Rome issued H1B visas?
Made my day! Thanks.
You're an example of the same stupid wheel turning in the same stupid rut, over and over.
LOL. Whatever, warmonger.
Come to think of it, maybe they did. Have you ever tried to do math with Roman numerals?
Sadly, Rome didn’t survive long enough for this to develop into the “Planet of the Apes” plot line.
Only if they were bad.
OTOH, we managed to get "Life of Brian" out of 'em. :^)
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