Zoo History Timeline

In the Mesopotamian region flourishing city-states developed along the Tigris and Euphrate rivers. This area was suitable for agriculture but lacked resources to sustain other technologies. Thus, trade developed over time, and with increasing prosperity the Mesopotamian merchants started trading wild exotic animals as well. These animals became part of animal collections of royalty and wealthy individuals, the one even more impressive than the other. Royalty kept lions and other animals, such as ibis, cranes, herons, pelicans, elephants, ostriches, gazelle and ibex, for exhibition purposes. Royal lions were kept in cages and pits during the Third Dynasty of Ur around 2100 BCE.

Under the rule of Hatshepsut, the only Egyptian female pharaoh, ambitious and famous expeditions took place to the Land of Punt, in present-day Somalia, between 1510 and 1490 BCE. Many trade goods were bought in Punt, and Egypt had a new supply of myrrh, trees, ebony, ivory, gold, cinnamon, incense, eye paint, skins of southern panthers, and live animals. Like many civilizations that accumulate wealth, Hatshepsut took an interest in exotic animals and ordered to collect live animals, too. The animals brought to Egypt from Punt included apes, monkeys, birds, greyhounds, cattle, leopards, cheetahs, rhinoceroses, and giraffes. They formed the largest known animal collection in Egypt to that time. It is unknown how the animals were housed or maintained, despite the fact that the greatness of the acquisitions was depicted in murals.

In China it was during periods of unification (the dynasties) that significant animal collections, including exotic species, were developed. These collections served the practical purpose of ritiual sacrifice as well as aesthetical purposes for the wealthy class. These animals were kept in parks or breeding grounds. It started with the Shang dynasty (1600-1050 BCE), but the first well-known animal reserve was created by the founder of the Zhou dynasty (1550-221 BCE), Wen Wang. These animal reserves or parks were large, walled-in natural areas that required their own staffs of administrators, keepers and veterinarians.

The Greek interest in science reflected their attitude towards animals which went beyond observational knowledge. Animals played a central role in their culture and mythology, and their animal collections during this period were not just about displaying power, but also about understanding the animal kingdom. Due to the military campaigns into Asia by Alexander the Great, the Greek not only expanded their territory significantly but their curiosity horizon as well. Alexander sent many exotic animals back to Aristotle. Philosophers like Aristotle studied animals for scientific purposes, and his writings indicate a rudimentary approach to zoology. Whether the animals remained alive and maintained in collections is still unknown.

Early Roman Republic baiting (around 500 BCE), where animals were used to attack another animal, evolved into increasingly elaborate spectacles called venationes. These type of public spectacles featured contests between beasts or between men (prisoners) and beasts staged in an amphitheatre, usually in connection with gladiator shows. Lions, hyenas, leopards, giraffes, and rhinos entered the arena and were, in most cases, killed. The scale of this slaughter was enormous, with over 9,000 animals being ordered, transported and killed for a single event: the inauguration of the Colosseum in Rome in 80 CE. The animals must have been sourced from animal collections, but not much has been written about how and where the animals were kept. When the animals were not scheduled for fighting, they were used in yearly parades honouring those who passed away.

When the Islamic caliphate expanded (ca. 622-1492 CE), gardens and parks that were influenced by the Persian re-creations of the Garden of Eden were introduced in conquered territories. Although natural sciences, unlike other sciences, were not considered important by the Arabs, animal collections were kept in those parks. For instance Abderrahman III (912-961 CE) established an animal park in the city of Zahra north of Cordoba, Spain. Here, animals were kept in cages and fenced enclosures. These Arab collections continued through the Medieval and into the Renaissance period. During both periods, animals were exchanged between European and Muslim rulers.

Aztec and Inca civilizations were continuations of Americas’ earlier civilizations that may be as old as those of the Old World. They reached their heights and flourished between 1400 and 1500 CE. The Aztecs were well-structured and traded throughout the Americas. Extensive gardens and royal forests contained impressive animal collections. The Aztec emperor Montezuma II, in what is today Mexico, maintained one of the earliest animal collections in the Western Hemisphere. It was destroyed by Hernan Cortes during the Spanish conquest in 1520, who left in writing detailed descriptions of the beauty and value of what he destroyed. The Incas, like the Aztecs, had animal collections and gardens, both real and artificial. No detailed information on these collections was left by Pizarro, who conquered the Inca civilization.

The Age of Enlightenment in Europe was an intellectual and philosophical movement in the 17th and 18th century during which new ideas and world views were developed. There was a surge for intellectual and scientific progress, which fundamentally changed the interaction of mankind with the natural world. It was during this era that the concept of the zoo became more than merely a public spectacle. There was more attention for the study and conservation of animals and nature in general.