Resumen de ὀρνίθων ὡραιότατος and rara avis. The Peacock in Greek and Latin Literature
This paper offers an overview and analysis of the main sources on peacocks and their interactions with humans, as portrayed in Greek and Latin literature. Based upon a brief scrutiny of Aristotle’s Historia animalium as an important Greek testimony, it takes into account scientific and miscellany literature such as Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis historia and Aelian’s De natura animalium as well as the work of Roman agricultural writers (in particular Varro’s De re rustica, Columella’s De re rustica and Palladius’ Opus agriculturae). Closely connected to agricultural approaches are sources on the use of these birds in Roman cuisine (e.g. Petronius’ Satyrica). Light is also shed on the symbolic function of peacocks, especially in the context of poetry; one particularly interesting case in this regard are Martial’s Epigrams (13,70, 14,67 and 14,85, plus 3,58 and 5,37). Furthermore, the occurrence of peacocks in the genre of the fable (esp. in Aesop, fab. 219, Phaedrus, fab. 1,3 and 3,18, and Babrius, fab. 65) is examined. From the diversity of these sources, a complex and differentiated picture of the perceptions of peacocks among the Greeks and Romans and of their interactions with them emerges.
