On the Earliest Representations of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Were African Apes Traded to Bronze Age Elam?

Urbani, Bernardo; Youlatos, Dionisios

doi:10.1007/s10764-020-00169-0

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Depictions of apes (tailless hominoids) by ancient cultures are very rare (Urbani and Youlatos 2020, Urbani, 2021). Earlier historical written accounts of possible encounters with apes are also very limited (Barsanti, 1988, 2009; Groves, 2008; Haikal, 2016; Herzfeld, 2012; Liz‐Ferreira et al, 1945; Martínez‐Contreras, 2005; McDermott, 1938; Morris & Morris, 1966; Schwibbe, 1989; Sept & Brooks, 1994; Veracini, 2021a; Veracini & Casanova, 2016).…”

Section: Exordium: In Brief Printing African Apes Before the End Of T...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Earlier historical written accounts of possible encounters with apes are also very limited (Barsanti, 1988, 2009; Groves, 2008; Haikal, 2016; Herzfeld, 2012; Liz‐Ferreira et al, 1945; Martínez‐Contreras, 2005; McDermott, 1938; Morris & Morris, 1966; Schwibbe, 1989; Sept & Brooks, 1994; Veracini, 2021a; Veracini & Casanova, 2016). Alleged apes are mentioned in the Old Testament, and the first field story about African apes was recorded by the Carthaginian traveler Hanno the Navigator (5th–6th c. BC) after his trip to what is now Gabon (Bouveignes, 1950; Riese, 1881; Schmid, 1913; Stechow, 1948; Urbani & Youlatos, 2020). Late Medieval and early Renaissance representations of ape‐like primates are also scant.…”

Section: Exordium: In Brief Printing African Apes Before the End Of T...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There, hundreds of pages of printed and unpublished material have been examined. Nonetheless, with the growth of online and digitized resources, the potential for expanding these investigations has increased enormously (Garbino et al 2021;Urbani, 2016Urbani, , 2019Urbani and Youlatos 2020;Veracini, 2021b). These resources have also enabled us to explore a large array of ancient depictions of primates in the circum-Mediterranean region, the Near East, and part of Asia (e.g., Urbani & Youlatos, 2021;Urbani, 2021).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Simia langobardorum: Were African apes traded in late medieval Lombardy?

Urbani

Youlatos

2023

American J Primatol

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Depictions of and references to apes (tailless hominoids) are very limited in early historical written accounts. The first known published representations of ape-like primates appear in Medieval European books during the first century following the invention of printing. Considering the current knowledge of ape iconography, this article examines an unusual image of a couple of ape-like creatures rendered in a European manuscript and explores the possible links of this challenging illustration with historical accounts and contexts during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. The studied manuscript is known as "BL Sloane MS 4016" and is a medieval herbal manuscript (Tratactus de Herbis) of Lombardian origin dated c. 1440. The illustration in question, which also appears in similar manuscripts, represents two primates. However, these representations differ significantly from those in the other manuscripts. The individuals have physical features that suggest attribution to chimpanzees. The location and the date of the manuscript in relation to the extended merchant and travel network between Europe and Africa during the late Medieval times and earlier Renaissance most likely indicate that free-living or traded chimpanzees or their images may have been the visual source for the illustration. The examination of early depictions and descriptions of apes helps us to understand how we, humans, have represented our own closest zoological relatives. In doing so, this study also provides a review of early ape iconography and historical accounts about African primates during the so-called Age of Discoveries.

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