Real and hybrid or imaginary animals frequently appear in art as early as Prehistoric era. In Mesopotamia and in Egypt hybrids appear at least as often as real ones and have an important role. Rows of animals and later on isolated ones penetrate into the Greek and Roman world as early as the seventh century BCE, indeed in the period where figurative art gains its dominant role. Indeed, a large variety of animals occupies the Aegean art – Minoan as well as Mycenaean – however, their influence on the Greek world is not always clear to us.

The aim of the seminar is to study the place of the various animals in Antiquity in view of the work of art as well as the written sources in the different aspects. We shall query about their role and meaning as expressing Royal art, public, private, everyday works and funerary art. We shall try to find what they intend to represent, what is the relation towards them in the various periods and cultures, and even their appearance in Early Christian art.