07-11-2008, 08:23 PM
If I understand correctly, you're implying that the "Aurochsen" the breeders came up with in Poland were actually Heck Cattle? I would have thought Stephen Jay Gould, who was a fine scientist and forgot more than I'll ever know about genetics, would have been more careful with his statements. But a quick scan of Wiki supports what you're saying, and I'm willing to accept it.
So if we grant that the Aurochs is gone, and Heck Cattle are the nearest we're likely to see (unless DNA is discovered and cloned), it still leaves me wondering if the Romans used them for arena sports. The only reason I can imagine why they wouldn't would be if they were too difficult to bring to the city -- but it seems to me that anyone who can capture and transport rhinoceri to the Flavian Amphitheatre should be able to handle an aurochs or two.
(BTW, I've always understood that the singular to be "aurochs," and the plural, "aurochsen." This is consistent with Germanic plurals, and incidentally sounds a lot like "oxen," which got its plural the same way.)
So if we grant that the Aurochs is gone, and Heck Cattle are the nearest we're likely to see (unless DNA is discovered and cloned), it still leaves me wondering if the Romans used them for arena sports. The only reason I can imagine why they wouldn't would be if they were too difficult to bring to the city -- but it seems to me that anyone who can capture and transport rhinoceri to the Flavian Amphitheatre should be able to handle an aurochs or two.
(BTW, I've always understood that the singular to be "aurochs," and the plural, "aurochsen." This is consistent with Germanic plurals, and incidentally sounds a lot like "oxen," which got its plural the same way.)
Wayne Anderson/ Wander
