The Cast of a Dog Found in Pompeii.
This Dog died in the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD and was discovered on November 20, 1874. The casts were made by locating body cavities while excavating and proceeding to fill the cavity with liquid plaster so after 48 hours the plaster is hardened and the cast can be taken out, showing the subject in the exact position in which they died during the eruption.
The dog was a guard dog found still tethered to his post in the house of Marcus Vesonius Primus who was a well off Pompeian fuller (someone who sourced and washed cloth). The dog was tied to a post, positioned in his assigned watching place in the atrium of the house. In the atriums of ancient Roman houses their is usually an opening in the roof - a 'compluvium' designed to let rain fall in where it could be collected in the impluvium ( a sunken in pool or tank which captured the rainwater). Through the opening in the roof, the ash and volcanic debris would have began to fill the room over time. The dog would have climbed up higher and higher, but failed to escape as his chain was stretched to the limit, still struggling and trying to flee he was buried alive and suffocated.
The bronze studded collar was for the dogs protection and shows how the dog was a guard dog while his twisted limbs reveal the dog's desperate but futile struggle to escape and get free of his chain as well as the painful death that he suffered. His mouth could be opened as he whined/barked or attempted to breathe in air and prevent suffocation while he was really inhaling more toxic gases from the eruption.
This Dog died in the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD and was discovered on November 20, 1874. The casts were made by locating body cavities while excavating and proceeding to fill the cavity with liquid plaster so after 48 hours the plaster is hardened and the cast can be taken out, showing the subject in the exact position in which they died during the eruption.
The dog was a guard dog found still tethered to his post in the house of Marcus Vesonius Primus who was a well off Pompeian fuller (someone who sourced and washed cloth). The dog was tied to a post, positioned in his assigned watching place in the atrium of the house. In the atriums of ancient Roman houses their is usually an opening in the roof - a 'compluvium' designed to let rain fall in where it could be collected in the impluvium ( a sunken in pool or tank which captured the rainwater). Through the opening in the roof, the ash and volcanic debris would have began to fill the room over time. The dog would have climbed up higher and higher, but failed to escape as his chain was stretched to the limit, still struggling and trying to flee he was buried alive and suffocated.
The bronze studded collar was for the dogs protection and shows how the dog was a guard dog while his twisted limbs reveal the dog's desperate but futile struggle to escape and get free of his chain as well as the painful death that he suffered. His mouth could be opened as he whined/barked or attempted to breathe in air and prevent suffocation while he was really inhaling more toxic gases from the eruption.
Analysis
This cast of a dog gives us insight into a part of Ancient Roman at this time ~ they had pets. Dogs in ancient Rome performed the same tasks as dogs do today, as companions to their master and were the most common houshold pet. Different dogs also had different purposes in Roman life. There were 'lapdogs' that were kept as friendly compainions for their owners or even as symbols of wealth and status.1 There were also hunting dogs who aided privileged Romans who enjoyed the pleasure of hunting and herding dogs who helped guard and round up livestock.2
It is evident that not only was this dog a pet but he was also a guard dog, who looked after and protected his owner, Primus' house. Clearly, this dog was on guard up until the erupiton of Mt Vesuvius and his owner never fetched him so he was left chained in the house trying to break free.
The cast of a dog adds to our knowledge of Roman social life as we can see that dogs and pets were a part of Roman life and Romans relied on them to help secure their land and property.
This cast of a dog gives us insight into a part of Ancient Roman at this time ~ they had pets. Dogs in ancient Rome performed the same tasks as dogs do today, as companions to their master and were the most common houshold pet. Different dogs also had different purposes in Roman life. There were 'lapdogs' that were kept as friendly compainions for their owners or even as symbols of wealth and status.1 There were also hunting dogs who aided privileged Romans who enjoyed the pleasure of hunting and herding dogs who helped guard and round up livestock.2
It is evident that not only was this dog a pet but he was also a guard dog, who looked after and protected his owner, Primus' house. Clearly, this dog was on guard up until the erupiton of Mt Vesuvius and his owner never fetched him so he was left chained in the house trying to break free.
The cast of a dog adds to our knowledge of Roman social life as we can see that dogs and pets were a part of Roman life and Romans relied on them to help secure their land and property.
'Beware of the Dog' mosaic in Pompeii
Along with the two Dog mosaics at the top of the page, the mosaic on the left was also found in Pompeii. One of the mosaics (the top left) was discovered in the same house which the cast of the dog was found. The mosaic on the left was found in the house of the tragic poet and contains the Latin words 'cave canem' which translate into 'beware of the dog.' Many beware of the dog mosaics like this were found throughout Pompeii and contribute to our understanding of how Romans used dogs as guard dogs. Often during the daytime, the doors of Roman houses were left open giving outsiders a view into the interior.3 In the house of the tragic poet, on the other side of the threshold there is the great image of tied up, aggressive-looking dog baring its teeth accompanied by the warning cave canem, as seen in the picture on the left. This mosaic would have only been visible if the front door was open. This affirms the dogs role as a protector of the Romans homes and a useful deterrent for possible trespassers or intruders. It is likely that most Romans who owned a dog would have a similar mosaic but many Romans who did not have a dog guarding the house would have a mosaic like this anyway to ensure that their house was kept safer because it seemed as though they did have a dog. An ancient Roman writer Petronius (c. AD 27-66) wrote in his prose Satyricon of an exaggerated experience with one of these mosaics.
'I almost fell backwards and broke my legs while staring at all this, for to the left, as we entered, not far from the porter's alcove, an enormous dog upon a chain was painted upon the wall, and above him this inscription, in capitals: BEWARE THE DOG,'
Clearly the mosaics were rather life-like and just the painting of the dog would be enough to scare off most intruders without even seeing the actual dog guarding the house.
'I almost fell backwards and broke my legs while staring at all this, for to the left, as we entered, not far from the porter's alcove, an enormous dog upon a chain was painted upon the wall, and above him this inscription, in capitals: BEWARE THE DOG,'
Clearly the mosaics were rather life-like and just the painting of the dog would be enough to scare off most intruders without even seeing the actual dog guarding the house.
Conclusions
This evidence of the dog body cast is completely unique, there is no other body cast of an actual ancient Roman dog alive in 79AD. This dog body cast adds to our knowledge of the roman world as we have solid, physical proof that Romans had pets and we are able to see the roles their pets played at this particular time in Ancient Rome. The dog's bronze-studded collar and its position in the house show us that it must have been a guard dog. The eruption of Mt Vesuvius was significant as it gave us this unique and important contribution from Pompeii as not only do we know the Romans had dogs as pets, we know one way that they used them- as guard dogs to protect their homes. The many mosaics found in Pompeii warning people to 'beware of the dog' show us exactly how the ancient Romans used their dogs to deter any trespassers and keep their property safe. From this we can tell that Romans must have wanted to secure their house form any possible intruders. We can also infer that since these dog mosaics were seen as effective in warding off passers-by from Roman houses, the types of dogs they depicted must have had a reputation for being rather vicious and scary. The cast of the dog is also unique and adds to the significance of the eruption as it shows us that the people who owned the dog, in the chaos of the eruption must not have thought of saving their pet or they did not have time to set their dog free and so they left it chained inside the house. The dog cast also gives us a clear picture of the dog in its final moments of death, its distorted limbs show how it died suffering in pain as it struggled to free itself while it was buried alive, this is unique as it creates a contrast from the sleep-like, almost more peaceful body casts of humans who died in the eruption. The eruption of Mt Vesuvius was a significant event as the preservation of Pompeii deepened our knowledge on aspects of ancient Roman social life - their pets, how they used their pets to their advantage and how they secured their homes - the important part that dogs played in their lives. Without the eruption preserving the dog mosaics and dog body cast we would not have these insightful artefacts. In other parts of Rome these dog mosaics could have easily been destroyed during wars and changes to the style of houses where 'outdated' houses would been destroyed including many of the mosaics in them. It is possible that later on, as Romans began to build new structures with improved security, their attitude towards dogs changed and dogs were seen more as household pets and companions rather than guard dogs and so the mosaics no longer offered the same effectiveness as they once had and so they declined in popularity, the eruption preserved the dog mosaics from this time so they could not be destroyed. The eruption also protected these mosaics and the dog body cast from becoming worn out and disintegrating due to age.
This evidence of the dog body cast is completely unique, there is no other body cast of an actual ancient Roman dog alive in 79AD. This dog body cast adds to our knowledge of the roman world as we have solid, physical proof that Romans had pets and we are able to see the roles their pets played at this particular time in Ancient Rome. The dog's bronze-studded collar and its position in the house show us that it must have been a guard dog. The eruption of Mt Vesuvius was significant as it gave us this unique and important contribution from Pompeii as not only do we know the Romans had dogs as pets, we know one way that they used them- as guard dogs to protect their homes. The many mosaics found in Pompeii warning people to 'beware of the dog' show us exactly how the ancient Romans used their dogs to deter any trespassers and keep their property safe. From this we can tell that Romans must have wanted to secure their house form any possible intruders. We can also infer that since these dog mosaics were seen as effective in warding off passers-by from Roman houses, the types of dogs they depicted must have had a reputation for being rather vicious and scary. The cast of the dog is also unique and adds to the significance of the eruption as it shows us that the people who owned the dog, in the chaos of the eruption must not have thought of saving their pet or they did not have time to set their dog free and so they left it chained inside the house. The dog cast also gives us a clear picture of the dog in its final moments of death, its distorted limbs show how it died suffering in pain as it struggled to free itself while it was buried alive, this is unique as it creates a contrast from the sleep-like, almost more peaceful body casts of humans who died in the eruption. The eruption of Mt Vesuvius was a significant event as the preservation of Pompeii deepened our knowledge on aspects of ancient Roman social life - their pets, how they used their pets to their advantage and how they secured their homes - the important part that dogs played in their lives. Without the eruption preserving the dog mosaics and dog body cast we would not have these insightful artefacts. In other parts of Rome these dog mosaics could have easily been destroyed during wars and changes to the style of houses where 'outdated' houses would been destroyed including many of the mosaics in them. It is possible that later on, as Romans began to build new structures with improved security, their attitude towards dogs changed and dogs were seen more as household pets and companions rather than guard dogs and so the mosaics no longer offered the same effectiveness as they once had and so they declined in popularity, the eruption preserved the dog mosaics from this time so they could not be destroyed. The eruption also protected these mosaics and the dog body cast from becoming worn out and disintegrating due to age.
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1 http://www.explore-italian-culture.com
2 Ibid
3 M. Beard, The Fires of Vesuvius
1 http://www.explore-italian-culture.com
2 Ibid
3 M. Beard, The Fires of Vesuvius
