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A Monkey Bird-Catcher, Byzantine Mosaic
Monkeys, particularly macaques, are known to have been trained as pets in the Roman Empire. By the Late Roman or Early Byzantine period, monkeys had become increasingly popular.
Pictured: Mosaic of a monkey trying to catch birds with a long stick under a date tree. He has a wooden cage on his back with a bird on it. Constantinople, c. 6th century CE.
Great Palace Mosaic Museum, Istanbul.
