animals in Greece

What kind of animals, on land and in the Aegean Sea were the Greeks around?

in the wild

• in the mountains- wild boar, deer, bears and wolves
• near the coast- tortoises and many other reptiles
• in the ocean- seals in sea caves, lobsters, spiny lobsters, shellfish, octopus, sponges
• there were many types of fish in the Aegean Sea at the time of the ancient Greeks. Because of modern fishing techniques, there are a lot less now.
• mountain lions in northern Greece
• birds that migrated south during the winters

wild animals were rare in the classical period due to high population density

domesticated

• cattle, ox, and donkeys used for food and beasts of burden for agriculture
  
  

hunting

• hunting forced the hippopotamus into southern Egypt
• bears and wild boars were also sometimes hunted
• hunting was not done often, because there were not any wild animals in the cities where many people lived
• over time, wolves also became more rare because the Greeks did not like them

insects

• bees/wasps, butterflies/moths, cicada, ants, beetles and locusts to name a few
• insects were often portrayed on vase paintings and sculpture
• insects and animals were often portrayed in literature, like Aesop's fables
  
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  summary page

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