Dogs account for a large number of the animal representations that have been discovered by archeologists. These representations give evidence of the dog's status in society from slave to god, depending on place and time. The oldest is a cave painting in Spain's Cueva Vieja from about 10,000 B.C. In it, a dog is apparently blocking a deer's path to safety the hunt is on!
Deified Dogs
The best known example of the deified dog in Egypt is Anubis, the half-dog, half-jackal god found beginning in the 19th Dynasty (around 1200 B.C.). Because dogs were often seen lurking around cemeteries at night, Anubis was the god of the dead. He presided over funerals and burial rites, particularly embalming.
In Greek mythology, the dog was a creature forged by Hephaestus, the god of fire and blacksmith to the other gods. The dog's divine origin earned him a place of privilege among the animals.
Work Dogs and Warrior Dogs
Since the beginning of time, humans have relied on dogs as helpmates. Used as slaves in Asia Minor (the ideogram for "dog" is the same as that for "slave" in cuneiform writing from around 2000 B.C.!), dogs gradually gained a respected role in human work.
Nearly all early hunting scenes show dogs alongside humans. For example, paintings on the walls surrounding Çatal Hüyük, a Neolithic settlement in Asia Minor, depict humans using hounds to hunt big cats. Prior to the 18th Dynasty in Egypt, dogs helped humans hunt antelope and gazelle. By about 1500 B.C., dog breeding and breed specialization had produced greyhounds, which were faster than earlier dogs. In ancient Greece and Rome, just as in Egypt, dogs helped in the hunt and were often represented in art.
They also began serving as watchdogs, like Cerberus, known in Greek mythology for guarding the entrance to the underworld or Hades. In the Far East, toy dogs were the guardians of eunuchs (3470 B.C.). In ancient Rome (first century A.D.), dogs on leashes guarded homes (thus the inscription cave canem - beware of dog - on a mosaic from Pompei).
Dogs also aided soldiers at war. In the Far East around 1000 B.C., Mesopotamian dogs, especially hounds, were highly sought after for tracking down humans, such as escaped slaves. Sculptures of the mastiffs used in wars decorate a door of a Buddhist temple in Sanshi-Tope, India. Warrior dogs in ancient Rome had various specialties: defence dogs protected the back lines, attack dogs were sent to the front lines and liaison dogs ensured communication between army posts. Liaison dogs were perhaps the worst off: they were forced to swallow messages and sacrificed upon arrival.
Dogs in the Home
Although dogs seem to have held a less-than-desirable position in ancient times, evidence shows that they were sometimes treated with kindness and respect. In the New Dynasty in Egypt, dogs were so highly regarded that to mistreat or kill one was punishable by law. Ancient Greek artists depicted dogs as animals who had earned the privilege of human company. The sculptors of Assourbanipal in Mesopotamia evoke this privilege in Jeune satyre au repos [Young Satyr at Rest], a piece held by the Louvre Museum in Paris. But the first sign that dogs were truly a part of family life is an earthenware piece from Gaul depicting a couple embracing in a bed with a dog sleeping soundly at their feet. Surprisingly, this sculpture portraying an entirely modern notion of "love" for dogs dates to around 50 A.D.
Log in
