In science we use -pithecus (from πίθηκος) to denote “ape”. Seeing as the homelands of anything we’d call an ape today are quite far from Greece, I’m wondering if there is evidence that Greeks ever came into contact with apes as opposed to monkeys in the ancient world, or did we retroactively decide that pithikos should mean “ape” later on.
As an aside, there is at least one genus of monkeys (theropithecus) that has the -pithecus root. Did we use this stem before making the differentiation between apes and monkeys in modern science?
I did a bit of searching but came across some very outlandish answers (like extraterrestrials mixing human and animal DNA and the Greeks calling them apes...)
The ancient Greeks did indeed come into contact with monkeys and created archaeological evidence, in the form of frescoes, indicating interaction with them.
The Minoan Cretans and Therans of bronze age Greece notably painted monkeys on the 'blue monkeys fresco' of the Akrotiri palace. Since it's uncovering and reconstruction by Arthur Evans they have been deemed as not native to the island due to a lack of archaeological monkey remains. Evans additionally reconstructed another fresco the 'monkey and papyrus fresco' which further denoted the contact of ancient Greeks with monkeys and apes. Evans and most other contemporary Minoan scholars have agreed that they were most likely seen when trading in southern Asia and were reached by sea due to the thalassocratic nature of the civilisation. They have been speculated to be langurs by historians such as Marie Pareja and primatologists. However, this is in contrast to the theories presented by historian Eric Cline who attests in his book 'Monkey business in the Bronze Age Aegean' that the monkeys depicted in the frescoes are African blue monkeys. The 'saffron gathering fresco' also depicts blue monkeys alongside Minoan women gathering herbs and saffron, however this is thought to be an artistic incorporation of the monkeys into Theran culture and not representative of monkeys living on the island.
Beyond the Minoans and Therans, the Greek myth of Hercules and the Cercopes makes explicit mention of Zeus transforming the Cercopes into a monkey, but this myth has a strong connection to the aforementioned frescoes of Akrotiri and realistically reaffirms the contact of Minoans with monkeys.
It is not recorded that Greeks came into contact with large apes such as gorillas and this is most likely due to the basic levels of maritime equipment and vessels available that would have made visiting these animals a highly difficult and unattainable task. The modern Greek term for apes was most likely a retroactive inclusion to the lexicon of the language. It is absolutely true however that Greek civilisations made contact with monkeys such as langurs as depicted in Theran artworks.
