Dogs as Metaphorical Agents: Hierarchy, Inequality, Enslavement
In the absence of a well-developed social history for Roman Britain, little has been written on the lived experience of the bottom eighty-five percent of its population, but looking at dogs and humans together helps us recuperate something of both species’ experience under Rome. This lecture considers, on the one hand, the lives of pampered and self-feeding dogs; and on the other, low-status and enslaved humans. A shared constellation of images, prejudices, and metaphors emerged in the period which explained the moral shortcomings of both canines and the poor and justified their terrible treatment.

The links to the talks will be posted here:
www.history.ox.ac.uk/james-ford-lectures-british-history
Date: 4 February 2022, 17:00 (Friday, 3rd week, Hilary 2022)
Venue: Online
Speaker: Professor Robin Fleming (Boston College)
Organising department: Faculty of History
Part of: The James Ford Lectures in British History 2022, Dogsbodies and Dogs' Bodies: A Social and Cultural History of Roman Britain's Dogs and People
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editors: Laura Spence, Belinda Clark