Pygmies in Roman Art

What survives of pygmies in Roman artwork is mainly in the form of frescoes or mosaics but a few bas reliefs exist as well. Pygmies and dwarves both appear in these works but they are not the same. Pygmies were supposed to represent the native Egyptians, while the dwarves the Greek Egyptians. In Rome itself, pygmies were a rarity, but dwarves could be found as obscene dancers for rich families often brought from Egypt. ¹(Versluys 274) Thus they were never looked highly upon in Roman eyes. The Romans had them for their comic effect and not for their usefulness.

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