Graffiti often depict hunting scenes or animal fights. In the first three centuries of the Empire, the wild animal hunts held in the Colosseum were particularly full of attractions: extraordinary landscapes that suddenly appeared from beneath the arena floor, thousands of native and exotic animals covered in eye-catching ornaments, the lavish costumes of the hunters who usually met their prey armed with spears alone.

The Romans distinguished between herbivores and carnivores. The former group could include boars, deer, chamois, hares, etc., while the most famous carnivores were brought from Africa (bestiae Africanae).

In the 2^nd century AD, the eastern Mediterranean and the North African coasts were Italy’s main supply sources. In the imperial period, Africa took the place of Syria, supplying big cats, elephants, hyenas, onagers, antelopes, gazelles, ostriches, bears. Lower Egypt supplied hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses and crocodiles while Upper Egypt and Ethiopia supplied giraffes and monkeys. Tigers were brought all the way from India. The European provinces supplied bears, captures in Spain and Dalmatia; Gaul sent moose, wolves and bears, and the mountains of Italy supplied deer, roebucks, boars, foxes, wolves, bears, hares and bulls.