Camels and Dromedaries

[Jona Lendering]

Perhaps the following question sounds a bit strange in English, because dromedaries are often called camels (example). But the difference is clear: the two-humped camel lives in the Gobi desert and in Afghanistan, and has short legs and long hair, because it lives in very cold areas; the one-humped dromedary lives in Syria and Israel, has long legs and short hair, and lives in hot areas. More info here. The third member of the family is the lama in southern America, which I wil ignore.

I have for some time been looking for ancient pictures of camels, two humpers. They do exist in Iraq and Iran. But I have seen only one illustration of a camel west of the Euphrates, in the museum of Worms (here). In the Louvre may be an oil lamp that shows a camel, but the animal is shown with a saddle, which makes it hard to be certain.

Is anyone aware of other pictures of camels?

(And yes, the animal that can go through the eye of the needle is a dromedary, if you prefer the Bible, or an elephant, if you prefer the Talmud. Anyhow, no two-humper.)

[D B Campbell]

Is anyone aware of other pictures of camels?

Trajan's provincial coinage?[attachment=0:3vb62164]<!-- ia0 TrajanDrachmaArabia.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:3vb62164]

[Jona Lendering]

Is anyone aware of other pictures of camels?

Trajan's provincial coinage?[attachment=0:bsqn1mop]<!-- ia0 TrajanDrachmaArabia.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:bsqn1mop]

Lovely! Anyone else?

[mcbishop]

Never mind depictions, there are bones of the things! I vaguely remembered camel bones coming from Vindonissa and a quick google produced that. You live and learn... or lean... ;-) )

Mike Bishop

[D B Campbell]

... camel bones coming from Vindonissa ...

Camel? Or dromedary? :wink:

[Jona Lendering]

Camel? Or dromedary? :wink:

The idea of meeting a camelus, one-humped or two-humped, in the Alps is sufficiently spectacular. It's like an elephant in the Alps, isn't it?

[Graham Sumner]

Hi Jona

Technically I do not think it incorrect to say that a one humped camel is a 'camel'' rather than a 'dromedary'. By the same logic the two humped version is therefore a 'Bactrian' not a 'camel'.

They are both from the genus Camelus, Camelus Dromedarius and Camelus Bactrianus, see 'Aspects of Husbandry and management of the Genus Camelus', A.E Dorman in 'The Camel in health and Disease', A.J. Higgins London. 1986. so I think it is OK to call them both camels.

In any case the Imperial Dromedary Corps just does not have the same ring to it nor for the same reason the Sopwith Dromedary!!

On the other hand if you think the tunic colour debate is bad try finding out when Camels were introduced into Egypt. The general consensus was that they only appeared in Hellenistic times, as camels do not appear in classical Egyptian art. However the dating of camel dung found at Qasr Ibrim suggests it might be early after all!

Back to your search, with all the material I did collect on camels in Roman times I never came across anything relating to Bactrians, so I have found two new pieces of evidence today. Thank you!

Graham.

[mcbishop]

In any case the Imperial Dromedary Corps just does not have the same ring to it nor for the same reason the Sopwith Dromedary!!

But that Camel most definitely had only one hump.

On the other hand if you think the tunic colour debate is bad try finding out when Camels were introduced into Egypt. The general consensus was that they only appeared in Hellenistic times, as camels do not appear in classical Egyptian art. However the dating of camel dung found at Qasr Ibrim suggests it might be early after all!

They appear in Assyrian reliefs of Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 BC) and the general assumption in Near Eastern studies seems to be that domestication occurred around about 1000 BC, give or take.

Camel dung dating sounds like an interesting new branch of archaeological science but not one in which I feel a need to participate, it has to be said. Perhaps the Schutthügel at Vindonissa may contain some samples (I am beginning to wonder whether dromedary and Bactrian dung can usefully be differentiated)?!

Mike Bishop

[Sean Manning]

A book called The Camel and the Wheel has some black-and-white photos of two-humped camels in ancient art. I think I remember a bowl with a Sassanid ruler riding one. Unfortunately, I returned the book to the library a few days ago. Art from ancient Iran and Central Asia can be hard to find, and I don't think dromedaries were ever very popular outside that area.

[Robert Vermaat]

I think we discussed camels before? :wink:

[Jona Lendering]

I think we discussed camels before? :wink:

Yes; and there will be a little chapter on them in my book on common errors (just finished). And I needed to be certain that I had not overlooked something. Duncan's coin has prevented me from an error. Not a common error, but an error nevertheless. I was glad that I checked.