Dogs in Mycenaean Art
Dog domestication dates back at least 15,000 years, probably even longer. Alliances between the two-legged and four-legged creatures arose in different parts of the world. But it was not only the benefit for both parties, a deep human-animal relationship developed relatively early. Some evidence of this can be found in archaeological records.
For example, in Mycenaean art (Bronze Age, ca. 3000 BC - 1200 BC) dogs often. Even the burial of humans with dogs was a well-known Mycenaean custom.
In the classical Greek period that followed later (approx. 500-336 BC), the first breeds were actually already selected and this dog breed was quite popular. Denison Bingham Hull patiently collected the names of at least 29 different breeds in his work Hounds and Hunting in Ancient Greece (1964), not counting breeds that may have been imported.
There are mentions of castrian, molossian, cretan, laconic dogs and many more, each with specific characteristics that made them attractive to humans. It is difficult, if not impossible, to equate these descriptions with modern breeds, but it is safe to say that Greek dogs fall into three basic categories.
Different types of dogs
The first category included dogs that spend most of their time outdoors and may not be considered full-fledged pets. They were probably rather shy and just stayed around people.
The second category included dogs used for hunting. They were selected for endurance, speed, tracking game and a strong will to work. These dogs - the most common being Laconian (Spartan) and Cretan - split from the common domestic animal as they were portrayed as working animals. On Greek vases, they accompany young aristocrats on the hunt for deer, rabbits and wild boar. They are also frequently shown in scenes depicting warriors going into battle, possibly indicating the close bond between humans and dogs.
The third category included dogs kept purely as pets. These dogs were often slightly smaller. They served no practical purpose, but kept their owners company and provided entertainment and pleasure.
Small dogs as a gift for the annual celebration
Every year there was a multi-day festival in honor of Dionysus called Anthesteria , which was characterized by great merriment and drinking. Part of this celebration was the Choenfest (pot or drinking festival), which took place on the second day. On this occasion, three-year-olds in particular were given their own mugs (Choenkännchen) for the first time. This was a kind of initiation rite, since it was believed that due to the high mortality rate in infancy and early childhood, children at that age would have survived the greatest dangers.
The choen pots were miniature versions of the large pots called "choes". Boys or girls with a Melitanian dog were often depicted on the choen jugs. In addition to a choen pot, it was not uncommon to receive a pet as a gift at the Anthesteria.
A choen jug from The British Museum shows a young boy with two pets: a Melitanian dog and a bird (possibly a jackdaw or songbird).
What is behind the terms Melitanian Dog, Maltese Dog or Melitean?
Greek writers called these dogs Μελιταῖον κυνίδιον (Melitaion kunidion), while Latin writers called them Melitaeus catulus". The term is sometimes translated in English as Melitean, Melitaean, Melitæan, Melitaianor Maltese. This can be very confusing, because images, texts or sources are quickly assigned to a Maltese dog, which is a slightly different breed today than it was then.
The designation Melitan or "Melitanischer Hund" would probably make sense, because this name is the least likely to be misspelled and clearly differs from the breed name of the modern Maltese.
The "Melitan" part of the name is intended to indicate that the dogs are descended from Melitē . In ancient times there were at least two places with this name.
Strabo (about 63 BC - 23 AD, an ancient Greek historian and geographer) says, that the miniature Melitanian dogs originated from the island of Melitē near Pachynus (Cape Passaro), which is now modern Malta. Pliny the Elder (around 23 -79 AD, Roman scholar and author of an encyclopedic work on natural history) puts forward the thesis , the dogs originated from the Melitē island in the Adriatic Sea, now known as Mljet in Croatia.
So we cannot be sure if the Melitanian dogs came from an island in southern or northern Italy, or if both authors were actually just guessing.
In any case, the Melitan dogs belonged to the 3rd category, they were not "Maltese" as we know them today, although they were very popular with ladies and children. They mainly had the function of lap dogs, playmates and companion dogs.
Although the Melitanian dogs were predominantly associated with children and women, there were occasional depictions with adult males.
The number of pets appearing with people on funerary steles, vases, and other objects testifies to the fact that many Greeks developed a strong emotional bond with their pets.
A jug from the British Museum depicts a young girl throwing a tortoise through the air on a string attached to its hind foot, teasing her dog. This can be compared to depictions on funerary stelae of children holding birds over high-jumping dogs. This representation should probably show some kind of game scene.
Sources:
Strabo, 6.2.11.
Pliny, Natural History, 3.152.
Literature:
Hounds and Hunting in Ancient Greece" Denison Bingham Hull (1964), The University of Chicago Press< /em>