Chicken
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The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a subspecies of the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) domesticated by humans. Among the most widespread and common of domesticated animals worldwide, it has been a staple of the human diet for millennia.
History[edit | edit source]
Mythology[edit | edit source]
In Greek mythology, a soldier named Alektryon was charged by the god Ares to stand guard and warn the god and his paramour, the goddess Aphrodite, of the approaching Helios. Alektryon, however, fell asleep, and as punishment Ares turned him into a rooster, cursed to forever announce the rising of the sun (Helios).[1] This story explains why the word ᾰ̓λεκτρῠών (alektruṓn) means 'chicken, rooster' in Greek. [citation needed]
5th century BCE[edit | edit source]
Brought to Greece by the invading Persians, chickens were quickly adopted by the Greeks for their eggs, which during the Peloponnesian War were valued at 3 drachmae apiece. They were also a source of leather, which was used to craft armors. The roosters were aggressive, attacking anyone in their sight if present during a violent altercation.[1]
A place called Alektryon's Rest was a den of chickens on a small island south of Naxos Island, with the chickens there being led by an especially aggressive rooster. In addition to this, a mercenary known as Alektryon the Rooster wandered around Greece with his pet rooster by his side, freeing enslaved chickens.[1]
1st century BCE[edit | edit source]
During the 1st century BCE, chickens were kept by Egyptians living in the rural countryside, where they were used as a source of food and feathers.[2]
18th century[edit | edit source]
During the 18th century, chickens continued to be raised in various parts of the world, including the West Indies, the Philippines, and the Thirteen Colonies, for their eggs and meat.[3][4][5]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Variants of roosters seen in 5th-century BCE Greece
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Chickens inside a cage at a market in Damascus
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A hen and its chicks with a pig in the Philippines
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed III
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Unity
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
- Assassin's Creed: Origins
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
- Assassin's Creed: Jade
