Unearthing the
Ancient Roots of Vegetarianism
13 NOVEMBER,
2016
NATALIA KLIMCZAK Ancient Origins
The vegetarian diet has
become very popular around the world over the last decades.
However, the history of this lifestyle and its foundation on the
respect for animal life and the planet has its roots in the Indus
River valley and ancient Greece.
Vegetarianism has been
known about and practiced since ancient times. Although ancient
people are sometimes depicted with loads of meat on their dinner
tables, this image may be based more on artistic creativity than
reality. In fact, it seems that humanity in general has only eaten
larger quantities of meat for the last 1,000 years. Before then,
the consumption of meat was less popular. This could have been due
in part to problems associated with hunting. For example, in desert
countries like Egypt it would have been extremely difficult to
produce enough meat for the whole population. Many ancient people
also had a different worldview – one which was largely forgotten by
later generations.
Respecting Animals in
Asia
It is known that
prehistoric people sacrificed animals during rituals. The discovery
of animal bones also shows that they were not vegetarians. However,
with time some people started to avoid a diet based on meat and
preferred to consume plants instead. Ancient writings suggest the
first reason for this change was due to a different perception of
life and the world of animals.
Evidence suggests that the
founders of a non-meat diet lived in Asia, especially in ancient
Indian civilizations. One of the foremost advocates of Buddhist
vegetarianism was the emperor Ashoka (304-232 BC), who tried to
encourage people to care for animals.
Ashoka’s vision was to stop
animal sacrifice and teach people to respect animals. In his edicts
he wrote:
"Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, has caused this Dhamma
edict to be written. Here (in my domain) no living beings are
to be slaughtered or offered in sacrifice. Nor should festivals be
held, for Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, sees much to object
to in such festivals, although there are some festivals that
Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, does approve
of.
(…)
Twenty-six years after my coronation various animals were declared
to be protected—parrots, mainas, aruna, ruddy geese, wild ducks,
nandimukhas, gelatas, bats, queen ants, terrapins, boneless fish,
vedareyaka, gangapuputaka, sankiya fish, tortoises, porcupines,
squirrels, deer, bulls, okapinda, wild asses, wild pigeons,
domestic pigeons and all four-footed creatures that are neither
useful nor edible. Those nanny goats, ewes and sows which are with
young or giving milk to their young are protected, and so are young
ones less than six months old. Cocks are not to be caponized, husks
hiding living beings are not to be burnt and forests are not to be
burnt either without reason or to kill creatures. One animal is not
to be fed to another."
The vegetarian diet appears
in many other ancient Asian religious and cultural writings.
Vegetarianism is mostly associated with two religions: Hinduism and
Buddhism. Although currently some followers of these religions
disagree with the aversion to eating meat, traditionally it was a
strong part of their religious practices.
In ancient Japan, Emperor
Temmu banned the eating of wild animal meat in 675 AD. Japanese
people from the Nara to the Meiji restoration period (about 1,200
years), ate mostly rice with beans and vegetables. Fish was served
occasionally, but their national cuisine was almost completely
vegetarian. The ancient Japanese people also had a very long
lifetime during this period, but that started to change after the
rise of Emperor Meiji - who canceled the ancient ban on meat in the
second half of the 19th century.
Vegetarianism in Ancient
Europe
The first accounts of
vegetarian people come from Herodotus, who wrote about people from
the North African coast. Later, Diodorus Siculus explained that
tribes in Ethiopia didn’t eat meat either. In the 6th century BC,
the vegetarian diet arrived to Greece. The famous philosopher
Pythagoras wrote of the religious movement of ‘The Orphics’ which
promoted an aversion to eating meat as well. Pythagoras was one of
the first of the western philosophers to promote a vegetarian
lifestyle - his followers didn't have to be vegetarians, but many
were. It is unknown if that was the first time a thought like this
had appeared in Europe, but older written records discussing
vegetarianism have not been found there.
The philosopher known as
Themistocles who lived during the 5th century also wrote
declarations which made him a radical advocate for animal rights
and vegetarianism. Plato, Hesiod, and Ovid suggested that not
eating meat is good for humans. Moreover, some Stoics and Cynics
also supported this idea. Plato’s academy had a huge following of
vegetarianism too. Xenocrates, and Polemon didn't eat meat. Also,
Porphyry, Plutarch, and Plotinus tried to be vegetarians (but it is
unknown how long they followed this diet.)
Christian
Vegetarianism
It is believed that the
famous theologians St Thomas Aquinas, St Augustine, and St Francis
of Assisi were also vegetarians. However, due to the lack of
resources this has not been confirmed. According to some writings,
the first Christians preferred vegetarianism.
Vegetarianism was a normal
thing in early Greek-Orthodox Christianity. In Russia, Greece,
Serbia, Cyprus and other Orthodox countries people who belonged to
the church followed a diet which was free of meat (and alcohol
too).
The Rebirth of
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism largely
disappeared in Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries. However,
it was still practiced by several early Christian orders of monks
in medieval Europe, who banned the eating of meat (but not fish)
for religious reasons. The non-meat diet returned in popularity for
a time during the Renaissance and currently it is being reborn once
again.