1) Tissues at the ready for a magical but tragic story of a Roman boy and his unlikely animal friend. Pliny recounts the extraordinary tale of a young boy who swam at the beach near the ancient city of Hippo (modern Bizerte, Tunisia). One day he swam out farther than usual... 
2) ..where he was approached by a curious dolphin. The animal circled, leapt and splashed - eventually allowing the boy to pet him and even climb on his back! The playful dolphin took the boy for a ride out to sea and back again, as people on the shore watched in fascination...
3) Word of the miraculous incident spread and in the following days other children swam out to try and interact with the dolphin but the animal would only recognise his original companion, carrying him through the waves to the delight of gathered crowds...
4) ..Eventually the dolphin became more tame and would swim up to the shore to be with the townspeople, allowing itself to be touched and stroked. One day, the foolish local governor Octavius Avitus came to the beach to grandstand with the famous animal known far and wide...
5) In some sort of misguided religious offering, the governor poured a noxious perfume on the dolphin, frightening the animal and causing it to flee back out to the sea. The boy thought he would never see the dolphin again but eventually it came back and he regained its trust...
6) Crowds of people and Roman celebrities travelled from all around to see the young boy frolic in the waves with his dolphin friend. Meanwhile, the local council complained that their town had lost its peaceful character and that tourists were putting a strain on resources..
7) In their wisdom, the magistrates met and one proposed (perhaps our perfume-pouring Octavius Avitus) that they rid the town of the troublesome animal. The miraculous dolphin was caught and secretly put to death. At the shore, the boy waited, but never saw his friend again.
The heart-rending story of the boy and his dolphin friend is recounted by Pliny in his letter to Caninius Rufus (Letters 9.33). attalus.org/old/pliny9.htm…
