“Unearthed Secrets: Did Ancient Romans Pamper Tiny ‘Toy Dogs’ as Beloved Companions Over 2,000 Years Ago?”
Based on examination of its teeth, the dog found in Córdoba appears to have enjoyed a very similar diet to its owners. It seems likely that the dog had been kept as a pet before it was put to death as a sacrificial offering.
“The existence of small dogs as pets, objects of affection and special consideration for their owners, has been known since classical antiquity, a fact corroborated by texts, epigraphy and iconography,” said Rafael M. Martínez Sánchez, an archaeologist from the University of Granada and a co-author of the new study.
Martínez Sánchez et alThe canine bones are the oldest evidence of a tiny dog breed existing at the time of the Romans.
Analysis of the dog bones suggests that the breed did not originate from the area where it was discovered. Rather, the scientists believe that it came from thousands of miles east of its final resting place. It would also seem there was a long-distance trade of “toy dogs” happening across the empire.
Martínez Sánchez and his team believe this dog trade could have been an extension of the Romans’ habit of transporting “exotic” animals — like ostriches and elephants — across long distances for their entertainment, akin to how some rich people in the modern world purchase wild animals for their personal collections.
Finally, it looks like the toy dog had a companion, as researchers found evidence that the dog was pregnant at the time of its death.
Next, learn why puppies were used for sacrifices in ancient China instead of humans as spritual sacrifices and meet Dogor, the mummified wolf-dog ancestor that died 18,000 years ago in the Siberian permafrost.
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