The Long History of Dogs in Honour of International Dog Day

Did you know that there is evidence for dogs being man's best friend from over 12,000 years ago? Stick around to learn more about dogs in the ancient world in honor of International Dog Day. Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia. My name is Kelly and today's video is all about dogs in honor of International Dog Day. Don't forget the easiest way to support us is by giving this video a thumbs up, subscribing to our channel and hitting that bell icon for notifications so you don't miss out on our new videos every Tuesday and Friday. If you like my shirt you can find this design and a bunch more in our store at worldhistory.store or you can find the link to our merch down below. Lucky for humans dogs have been a part of our history since before even the creation of writing. Domestication of dogs has been traced back to around 12,000 BC in the Middle East and China and to between 32,000 and 18,800 years ago in Europe. Not to mention the earliest domesticated dog remains have been found from 36,500 years ago in Belgium. Most interestingly the way dogs were regarded in many ancient cultures has not really changed to the way dogs are thought of now. Back then they were seen as faithful companions, trained as hunters and guardians, they were spirit guides and treasured members of the family. So suffice to say that humans and canines have been buddies for a long time and in today's video we're going to take a look at some of the cultures who have left evidence of their companionship with dogs including Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, China and Mesoamerica. So let's get into it. From Mesopotamia dogs appear in the epic of Gilgamesh as companions to one of the region's most popular goddesses Inanna, also known as Ishtar, who travels with seven prized hunting dogs on a collar and leash. In the ancient world it seemed to be a pattern that dogs were associated with female deities. In Greek mythology Artemis kept hunting dogs and Hecate kept black Molossian dogs as did their Roman counterparts Diana and Trivia. And in Sumerian mythology dogs were associated with the goddess of healing Gula. In Norse myths the powerful goddess Frigg is often depicted with a dog or in a chariot drawn by dogs. In ancient Egypt however dogs were most commonly associated with the jackal-headed god Anubis whose cult center was Sinopolis, meaning city of the dog. And mummified dogs were brought to the temple as sacrifices to Anubis. In Roman mythology canines were central to the legendary history of Rome which began with the twins Romulus and Remus being suckled by a she-wolf who was later associated with the dog. One of the most famous and heart-wrenching stories from the ancient world is that of the Greek hero Odysseus and his dog Argos. Argos was the faithful companion of Odysseus but during the 10-year long Trojan War and his 10-year journey back home Argos waited patiently to see his best friend again. When Odysseus arrives home to Ithaca however he has to disguise himself and even in disguise Argos recognizes his friend. The old dog stands up and starts wagging his tail in excitement but Odysseus cannot give himself away in front of the people who have taken over his home and cannot acknowledge his faithful companion so he ignores Argos who then lays back down and dies. Many cultures beliefs of the afterlife had something to do with dogs who often had the job of guarding the gates to the underworld. In Persia not only would the way one treated dogs in life affect the soul's final destination in death but dogs were both created to protect human beings as well as guard the bridge between the world of the living and the world of the dead much like Hades three-headed dog Cerberus in Greek mythology who was the guard to Hades realm. Another dog who has the same purpose is Garm in Norse mythology who guarded the gates of the afterlife realm of hell. Garm both kept the souls safe in the underworld and stopped any human trespassing in the hopes that they could bring a soul back to the land of the living. More dog remains have been found in Scandinavian burial sites than any other ancient culture reflecting the belief that dogs could protect and guide the soul in the afterlife. In the Yucatec Maya beliefs dogs serve to guide the souls of the dead through the dark underworld of Xibalba towards paradise. They also feature in the K'iche' Maya myths as beings who serve the will of the gods and destroy the ungrateful and useless first race of humans which were created before the present race. Dogs are the only creatures among the many elements of life on earth chosen by the gods to destroy these inferior beings so that new life can be created from maize, corn. In China bells were attached to the collars of dogs to ward off spirits and the dog served its master in the afterlife just as it had while on earth by protecting against evil spirits and ghosts. Dogs were undoubtedly seen as important parts of the family and from ancient Greece and Rome the epitaphs of dogs which have been found show just how loved they were. For example here's an epitaph found for a dog who was buried in Greece. Here the stone says it holds the white dog from Melita the most faithful guardian of Umulus. Bull they called him while he was yet alive but now his voice is prisoned in the silent pathways of night. Often we overlook everyday objects which are so familiar to us we couldn't imagine a world without them but imagine having a pet dog with no such thing as a collar or lead and to thank for this endlessly handy invention is ancient Mesopotamia. Although it is possible as with the domestication of animals that both the collar and people's relationships with dogs developed independently in different regions the earliest depiction of dog collars in art comes from Mesopotamia. From Egypt our earliest evidence of dog collars is found on a wall painting of a man walking his dog on a leash which is dated to around 3500 BCE and evidence from the middle kingdom shows that these collars became elaborate and were adorned with precious metals like bronze and by the new kingdom gold and silver. In Mesoamerica it seems the collars were not widely used but they were adopted by the Romans and the Greeks and even if they were created out of gold they were only for practical use. The well-known dog collar with spikes on it was actually invented in ancient Greece to protect the necks of dogs from wolves. In Rome there is a well-known mosaic of a dog with the words Cave Canem which translates to beware of dog and shows the dog in its role as a guardian of the home. Unlike cats in ancient Egypt dogs were always named and their names were put on their collars, stele or reliefs. Some examples of ancient Egyptian dog names are brave one, reliable, good herdsman, north wind, antelope, blackie and even useless. Often they were named in numbers such as the fifth and the names given look to have either been terms of endearment, a nod towards their color or highlighting their attributes. According to Xenophon who wrote extensively about dogs in ancient Greece one should give dogs short names either one or two syllables long which were easy to call out and for the dog to recognize quickly. Some of the notable examples he gave include blazer, stubborn, killer, strong boy, sunbeam and gnome. So if you're stuck for puppy names maybe Xenophon can give you some ideas. Unlike many of the other cultures mentioned in this video already dogs in Mesoamerica and ancient China were also kept as a food source. In China dogs were thought to have been gifts given by the gods so their blood was sacred and they were often used as sacrifices which was also a practice in ancient Egypt for sealing oaths and swearing allegiances. So although they were honored as divine gifts from the gods they were believed to have been given to humans with the purpose of providing humans with food and blood for sacrifice. Dogs were killed and buried in front of a home for protection against diseases and bad luck and once the sacrifice of dogs became less popular straw dogs were buried instead. In Mesoamerica namely among the Maya and the Aztecs dogs were bred in pens as a food source in addition to their respected roles as guardians, pets, their skill in hunting and their association with the gods. Do you know of a story about dogs in your culture or a specific dog from history? Let us know down in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on our new videos every Tuesday and Friday. Do you have an international day or ancient or medieval event you'd like to see us talk about in a video? Make sure to let us know down in the comments below. This video was brought to you by World History Encyclopedia. For more great articles and interactive content head to our website via the link below. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization so if you'd like to support our work you can head to our Patreon via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via our Patreon link down below. 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