Chickens of the Goulandris

The chicken theme is silly, but I've really enjoyed honing in on one motif this trip.  It helps me to enjoy the museums to hunt for chickens rather than just skim whatever they are showing looking at everything briefly and equally.  Then Phil changed my whole outlook. I knew that chickens were brought to the US with early colonists (as were pigs, cows, sheep, and goats -- all our food animals are old world.  The only native animal that became commonly eaten in the US was Turkey, and that came to us via Europe, too -- as evidenced by what we call it!  We never really adapted to native north American foods, except for corn.).  But what Phil told me, offhandedly, is that chickens came from India, rather late, to the Mediterranean.  A Smithsonian article says at first they were traded for cock-fighting, the oldest continuously-played sport in the world, and only later for food.  They reached the Mediterranean in about 800 B.C.E. where they were a delicacy for the Romans.  The article suggested that they were mostly a food source because of their eggs, rather than their meat at first, though they also have ritual significance and are used for prophesying in some places.

Perhaps not so silly, after all.

Early 5th century, maybe a votive. A rooster, as seen with the spurs.

Early Corinthian period, 7th century BCE. These are about cock-fighting, clearly, as they face off!

Same alabastron, side view

8th century - a VERY early chicken