"In 55 BCE, on the final day of the celebrations marking the opening of the Theatre of Pompey, thousands of Romans witnessed theatrical performances, athletic and musical contests, and wild animal hunts. At the climax of the festivities, 20 or so elephants were ceremonially slaughtered in the Circus Maximus. This notorious hunt was seared into the minds not only of eyewitnesses such as Cicero, but of Greeks and Romans over many generations, including Seneca, Pliny the Elder, Plutarch and Dio Cassius."
"The feeling of compassion or pity ( misericordia) for the elephants went hand in hand with the belief that elephants have something in common with us. The Latin word Cicero used to describe this common ground was societas, meaning union, association, fellowship, a community of belonging. His report raised issues that recur throughout ancient Greek and Roman philosophy: who belongs with us? Our family? Our tribe? Our nation? What about strangers, foreigners? Do we share societas with fellow human beings no matter their native city-state?"
During celebratory games in 55 BCE, roughly twenty elephants were ceremonially slaughtered in Rome’s Circus Maximus, producing distress rather than entertainment. The elephants, wounded, walked with trunks raised and trumpeted as if imploring mercy, prompting widespread pity (misericordia) among spectators. Observers perceived a shared likeness between humans and elephants, invoking the concept of societas, a fellowship or community of belonging. That perception provoked questions about who counts as part of moral community—family, tribe, fellow citizens, or strangers—and about the boundaries of moral duty. These concerns resonated throughout Greek and Roman ethical thought, influencing discussions on kinship, belonging, and moral obligation.
Read at Aeon
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]