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CRUSTACEANS THROUGH THE AGES
Have you ever wondered how old crustaceans are? Take a walk thorugh time with us to find out more....
ANCIENT GREEKS 3000BC
Pontus the Greek God of the sea is often depicted with lobster claws as horns. The son of Gaia (earth) Pontus fathered all the creatures of the sea as well as being an ancestor to mermen, mermaids, gorgons (including Medusa) and sirens. Phorcys was one of the sons of Pontus and also had lobster features such as lobster claws as legs, red spiny skin, and a set of antennae.
Hippocrates the Greek physician and philosophies used crab terminology coining carcinos (tumour) and carcinoma (malignant tumour) based on Carcinus, the giant crab of Greek mythology, having observed that the cut surface of such tumours showed ‘the veins stretched on all sides…as the feet of a crab’. These terms were grouped under cancer, the Latin word for crab, by the Roman writer Aulus Cornelius Celsus in his De Medicina.
SUMMERIANS 3000BC
The constellation of Cancer is one of the 12 ancient astrological signs, and likely to have been first recognised by the Sumerian stargazers. Sumerians referred to the regions abundant freshwater crabs (the Potamon species) as allul (‘deceptive digger’) and because Sumer in south Mesopotamia, is considered the cradle of modern civilisation, this is probably the first ever documented for crab. It is also likely no coincidence that the astrological month of Cancer is in midsummer coinciding exactly with the period when thousands of female Potamon crabs emerge from rivers in the region. They search on land for protein rich foods that will allow them to produce eggs rich in yolk.
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BABYLONIANS 500BC
An inscribed tablet from the Euphrates bears the statement ‘the crab called Nagar-assura appears as the constellation of the fourth month’. Nagar-assura translates as ‘workmen of the riverbed’ a description of the Potamon species that excavate burrows along riverbanks, lakes and swamps.
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ANCIENT ROMANS 1000BC
Romans were knowledgeable about lobster behaviour and physiology. They were included in mosaics in Pompeii battling octopus. Aristotle wrote about them as “animals without blood” and classified them as decapods thousands of years ago.
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THE MOCHE PEOPLE 400AD
The Moche were an Andean civilisation between 100-700 AD in an area in the northern coast of Peru. They used lobster designs on pottery and artworks as well as using the shells to create dyes.
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AMA DIVERS 900AD
Romans were knowledgeable about lobster behaviour and physiology. They were included in mosaics in Pompeii battling octopus. Aristotle wrote about them as “animals without blood” and classified them as decapods thousands of years ago.
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NATIVE AMERICANS 1400AD
North American Indians not only ate lobster but used them to fertilise crops and for baiting hooks. Traditionally they were cooked by wrapping in seaweed and baking on hot rocks. When European settlers arrived in America, they saw lobsters piled 2ft high on beaches and they became known as a poor mans food, being fed to prisoners, apprentices, slaves and children.
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CHINA 1840
In China the dragon and the phoenix are traditional animals that symbolize good fortune and are believed to be the perfect couple in Feng Shui. Lobsters are known as ‘dragons of the sea’ and are traditionally eaten with chicken (representing the phoenix) at wedding ceremonies. Dragon is “yang” while phoenix is “yin” – this balance enhances matrimonial bliss with the lobster and chicken symbolising everlasting love.
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