Scientists have found out what dog breeds the Romans preferred

Scientists have proved that brachycephalic (short-nosed) dogs were bred in ancient Rome. Studies of the skull of a 2000-year-old dog show that it resembled a French bulldog.

Analysing the skull of a dog found at a Roman-era site in Turkey, experts have determined that the ancient dog had a brachycephalic skull like a French bulldog.

According to naukawpolsce.pl, in 2007, dog bones were found in the ruins of ancient Traleys, near the Turkish city of Aydin. The find was incomplete, and due to the poor condition of the remains, no one paid much attention to it for many years.

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In 2021, the bones attracted the attention of Professor Aleksander Hroshch and Dr Dominik Poradowski from the Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, as well as a team of researchers from Istanbul University led by Professor Vedat Onar.

"Fortunately, the skull was not so damaged or fragmented as to interfere with our measurements. We compared it with other results of archaeozoological research, as well as with bone material from modern animals. Craniometry was performed, or, more simply, measurement points were determined on the skull bones, and these points allowed us not only to determine the value of individual measurements, but also to compare them with modern, verifiable results of craniometry of the dog skull," Professor Aleksander Chróścz told Science in Poland.

Due to the poor state of preservation of the remains, when it was impossible to measure the length of the skull, the researchers relied on other measurements, including the area of the skull base, tympanic cavity, teeth and palate.

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"In this case, there was no doubt that it was the skull of a brachycephalic (short-nosed) dog, and a relatively small one at that. The analysis of the animal's skeleton and the skeletons of modern dog breeds, which have been preserved and the parts of the animal's skeleton that can be measured, shows that it was most likely an animal lower in the withers than the known short-nosed Molossian hounds, whose lineage dates back to ancient Greece is beyond doubt," Professor Oleksandr Khroshch said.

To confirm the antiquity of the discovery, a radiocarbon dating procedure was carried out in the US reference laboratory.

"The discovery of the remains of a dog with such an anatomy gives us valuable information. Scientists have managed to prove that in ancient Rome, Molossian hounds were the only known brachycephalic dogs. This would not be new information if it were not for the fact that this animal was much smaller and its morphology was more similar to the French bulldog, a modern companion dog. It was supposed to accompany its guardian, sharing a fairly comfortable life, instead of being a working dog, which is often mentioned in the available Roman literature," the press release from the Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences reads.

According to the release, the animal was taken care of not only during its life but also after death. Studies of the skeleton have shown that the dog was treated very well, which distinguishes it from other discovered remains of service dogs.

As a reminder, experts from the American Chemical Society explained why dogs should not eat chocolate.

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