Classical literature has many allusions to lions. Were there lions in Europe and when did they become extinct?
- I DO NOT know whether you are referring to Greek, Roman and Biblical texts or the more recent works of authors like Austen and Elliot, but nevertheless, I shall attempt to answer both from a literary point of view as opposed to a biological one. References n Greek myths such as 'The Twelve Tasks of Heracles' are not to be taken as good evidence for the existence of lions in Europe and would have found their way there through a combination of travel and observation of other civilisations. Lions were not creatures found in the Classical Age of Greece (5th Century BC) and any references to them, possibly in Aristotle's 4th Century BC work 'De Anima' would have been through extensive foreign research in the Persian Empire which had links with Africa. Bibilical and Roman references such as 'Daniel in the Lion's Den' are far more likely to be grounded in semblances of fact, as Rome's 3rd Century BC conquest of Carthage would have opened trade routes through parts of Africa, allowing the aquisition of lions. References in more contemporary works would have arisen through the procurement of lions as pets by the English aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centurys after the conquest of parts of Africa. Even today big cats are said to roam the country, relics of Imperial Britain which have continued to breed. My own village is said to contain a puma.
David Bamford, South Chailey, Lewes, East Sussex (chaily@globalnet.co.uk)
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