This book investigates the evolution of human perception regarding animals across the span of Greek, Roman, and early Christian intellectual traditions. Ingvild Saelid Gilhus, a scholar of religious history, synthesizes a vast array of primary source material to map how these cultures defined the moral and ontological status of non-human creatures. By examining philosophical treatises, theological texts, and cultural practices, the author constructs a framework that explains the shift from pagan animal-human hierarchies to the specific theological justifications adopted by early Christian thinkers.

Experts in the field of classical and religious studies recognize this work as a comprehensive resource for understanding the historical roots of Western attitudes toward animals. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of complex theological and philosophical shifts over several centuries.