Cruelty in ancient Rome took many forms, it’s something which has often caused me to question whether I’d really want to step into a tardis and travel back there. One individual, Vedius Pollio, was renowned for a viscious streak, something which was picked up by a few ancient writers including Seneca and Dio Cassius. An anecdote linked to him involved eels, an unfortunate slave and the emperor Augustus:
“One of the slaves had broken a crystal goblet of his: Vedius ordered him to be led away to die, and that too in no common fashion: he ordered him to be thrown to feed the muraenae*, some of which fish, of great size, he kept in a tank. Who would not think that he did this out of luxury? but it was out of cruelty. The boy slipped through the hands of those who tried to seize him, and flung himself at Caesar’s feet in order to beg for nothing more than that he might die in some different way, and not be eaten.
Caesar was shocked at this novel form of cruelty, and ordered him to be let go, and, in his place, all the crystal ware which he saw before him to be broken, and the tank to be filled up.” (Seneca. On Anger, 3.40)
*eels
A theme in the anecdote involving Vedius is that of wealth and status. Here’s a man who has a large amount of crystal goblets and who is hosting the emperor himself. However, the eels (referred sometimes as murenae or lamphreys) were also a sign that their owner wasn’t shy of a sesterce or two.
Eels as a status symbol
Pliny the Elder wrote that it was Lucius Licinius Murenae who had been the first at Rome to develop what we might consider fish farms. You might even notice that he was nicknamed ‘murenae’ as a result. The first century BC seems to have been a time when the development of fish ponds and fish farming in Rome took hold. It wasn’t just eels, Gaius Sergius Orata was noted for developing oyster commercialisation through the manafacture of oyster beds.
Though Orata made a small fortune keeping fish and eels wasn’t cheap. Fish ponds needed water channels from a lake or sea, these needed to be maintained. Then there was the cost of feeding the fish. It was an entire project within itself which leads to a nice summary made by Varro about keeping fish in artificial ponds these:
“appeal to the eye more than to the purse, and exhaust the pouch of the owner rather than fill it” (Varro. On Agriculture, 3.171).
Varro’s comment was made in relation to Gaius Hirrus, a man noted for the number of eels he kept – apparently he was able to furnish the triumphal dinners of Julius Caesar with several thousand fish, including eels. Eels were a prized item on the menu, they were expensive and so they elevated not just the table but the status of those who served them.
Served, and serving
The keeping of fish, and eels, was therefore a status indicator. A rich Roman might want to escort a visitor round his fish ponds in the same way that a person might walk you to their stables where prize horses are kept. One individual by the name of Crassus took this a step further. It wasn’t just enough for Crassus to make a show of the fish ponds, but also what one of their inhabitants might be wearing.
“And men tell of the moray belonging to Crassus the Roman, which had been adorned with earrings and small necklaces set with jewels, just like some lovely maiden; and when Crassus called it, it would recognise his voice and come swimming up, and whatever he offered it, it would eagerly and promptly take and eat. (Aelian. On Animals, 8.4)”
Crassus was a man of extreme wealth and Rome was often a place of extreme trends, why not dress up your favourite eel? As for whether this happened. Well, a few years back this topic was raised with a guest on my podcast. The episode in question is AD 69 and daily life in ancient Rome which featured LJ Trafford and we pondered this very question. The outcome was a plea on X with a response from Surprised Eel Historian, PHD (@greenleejw).
and the reply to the question about whether you could dress an eel:
There you have it! Perhaps Crassus was on to something after all. If all this talk of eels has whetted your appetite for fish in the ancient world here’s a bit on sharks in ancient Greece and Rome.
