Α 2 400-year-old terracotta Javelin sand boa Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758): herpeto­logical approach to an ancient Greek clay artifact from Late Classical Euboea with ethnozoological insights

Zoomorphic representations are common in antiquity, in every expression of art, for every social and cultural situation. This study focuses on the species identification of a snake represented in a rare terracotta applique unearthed in the “House of the Mosaics” in the ancient city of Eretria (Euboea, Greece), dated to the Late Classical period. The item exhibits morphological traits closely resembling those of the genus Eryx, a distinctive group of boid snakes. A comparative morphological assessment was conducted, using the local history, modern zoological references and knowledge of the local or adjacent herpetofauna. Our work demonstrates that overcoming the challenges inherent in identification of represented animals in ancient art requires a close collaboration between archaeology and zoology. This terracotta species, that we identified as Javelin sand boa (Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758)), is now recognized to inhabit various regions of Euboea. It is thus not only archaeologically attested but also historically contextualized as part of the local biodiversity most likely known to ancient observers. Further discussion for other species presence in ancient Greek literature has also been undertaken.