Before the 1600s, a giraffe was known as a Camelopard, deriving from the ancient Greek for camel and leopard, referring to its camel-like shape and leopard-like colouring. The word ‘giraffe’ has its earliest-known origins in the Arabic word zarafah meaning “fast-walker. The modern English form developed around 1600 from the French word girafe.
In 46 BC, Julius Caesar had celebrated his triumphs in Egypt by returning to Rome with a vast menagerie, the star attraction of which was a giraffe, the first ever seen in Europe. The Romans did not know what to make of such an animal and named it the “cameleopard”, for it seemed to them to embody characteristics of both the camel and leopard. Caesar had the animal torn to shreds by lions in the arena, probably to emphasize his power by the disposal of such a rare creature in a casual manner. Lorenzo had read of the success of the spectacle of Caesar’s giraffe and saw a way to cement his reputation in Florence by emulating it. He also realised that he could gain further political influence by passing the animal on and promised to send it to Anne of France, after its sojourn in Florence.
Whether the giraffe was provided by Qaitbay is uncertain as there is no record of its procurement, but it seems likely: he is known to have had giraffes in his menagerie; he appealed for Lorenzo for help against the Ottomans around the time of the giraffe’s arrival in Florence and Lorenzo did intercede on his behalf shortly afterwards.
Picture Credit : Google
