oa Bear and human in Greco-Roman antiquity

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Bear and human in Greco-Roman antiquity, Page 1 of 1

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The bear played a not insignificant role in the ancient Greco-Roman world - as a pest, it occasionally disrupted human life and sometimes even killed human beings. Humans, however, were the greater foe to bears by far; in huge numbers, bears were hunted, captured, and - particularly in Rome - killed or set on humans and other animals for the entertainment of the audience. Humans not only fear, hunt, and torment bears, but they also eat them, heal, clothe, and adorn themselves with parts of them. They invoke the power attributed to the bear in ceremony and cult as well as for magical rituals. They name stellar constellations after it, train it, imitate it in their art, tell stories about it, and turn the bear into an object of their scientific curiosity.