Caesar's+Record+of+New+Animals


 * __Caesar’s Record of New Animals __**

During Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, he explored many new territories. Very little, if anything, was written or known about these nations at the time of Caesar’s arrival. He was awestruck by the mystery and magnificence these secret lands held, especially in terms of their abundance of wildlife. Caesar was especially captivated by a few types of animals found in the Hercynian Forest that he had never seen before- the elk, the aurochs, and an animal resembling that of an ox. Caesar was so taken with these animals that he saw it fit to record their descriptions in the sixth book of //Bellum Gallicum//. While some of his descriptions seem to portray real animals still alive today, others lead historians and archeologists to question the legitimacy of his records.

**__Ox __** The first animal Caesar describes is a type of ox. Caesar says that its body resembled that of a large deer. Caesar goes on to describe the horns of these oxen. He says that they have a single horn that rises between their eyes. Caesar describes it as “higher and straighter than those horns which are known to us.” Additionally, branches emerge from the very top of the horn and span out like a fan. It appears that Caesar is depicting an animal similar to that of a unicorn instead of a typical ox. While many may doubt Caesar’s record of this animal, his description does, in fact, describe certain animals that are thought to have been alive during his lifetime. Findings in the 1600’s and 1700’s of fossilized remains of animals with a single horn, fitting Caesars description were found in Quedlinburg, Germany, which is in the Hercynian Forest. In the early 1990’s, Antal Festetics, a renowned Austrian naturalist, claimed that he saw a unicorn one night in the forest. Although no one has been able to prove of their existence, there is concrete evidence supporting that Caesar’s claims were accurate.

**__Elk __** The second type of animal Caesar describes is the elk, or moose, as it is known in North America. Caesar’s record of this species is in fact very accurate. Caesar compares these elk to Roe Deer, which are a type of deer also found in Europe. He describes the coloring of the elk as similar to that of the roe and varied depending on the animal. This description is correct, as elk can range from black to dark brown. However, Caesar says, the elk are much larger than the roes. He also says that the elk lacked horns. While this description can apply to elk, it means that Caesar must have seen them during mating season because males lose their horns during that time. The only flaw to Caesar’s depiction is when he says that the elk appear to have no joints in their legs and are always standing. This is partly true, especially since elk can sleep standing up. However, Caesar goes on to say that the elk seem to fall down quite a lot, which could explain why he thought they had no form of movement in their legs. Elk can be very clumsy creatures.

**__Aurochs __**

The final animals Caesar describes are uri. In modern times, these are known as aurochs, although they are now extinct. Caesar describes them as being a little smaller than elephants, with all of the physical features of bulls. Too little is known about these creatures today to determine how accurate Caesar was when describing these animals. However, ancient drawings have been found that suggest that Caesar was correct. While Caesar does not give a very detailed description of these animals, he does explain the volatile temperament of these animals. Caesar tells the reader that “they spare neither man nor wild beast.” Young men would spend months and years preparing to hunt these beasts. According to Caesar, the horns were taken as proof that the animal was slain, and they were considered very valuable. As was custom, silver was put on their tips, and then they were used as cups for the most elegant of occasions. Today, the closest relative to the urus is the bull.

﻿ Works Cited Caesar, Julius, W.A. McDevitte, and W.S. Bohn. "Gaius Julius Caesar: Commentaries on the Gallic War, Book 4." //Corpus Scriptorum Latinorum//. Forum Romanum. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. < http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/caesar/gallic_e6.html >.

"Factsheet: Eurasian Elk (Elk, Reindeer, Roe Deer (Cetartiodactyla Cervidae Capreolinae) Alces Alces)." //Large Herbivore Network (LHNet)//. Large Herbivore Network/ECNC. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. < http://www.largeherbivore.org/eurasian-elk/ >.

"Mystical Unicorn: Is There Evidence Of The Existence Of Unicorns?" //Mystical Unicorn By Unicorn Lady: Celebrating The Mystery, Magic And Wonder Of Unicorns//. Unicorn Lady. Web. 30 Apr. 2011. < http://www.unicornlady.net/legends/evidence.html >.

Tikhonov, A. 2008. //Bos primigenius//. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. < [|www.iucnredlist.org] >. Downloaded on **30 April 2011**  **Created by Megan Harbin**