Canis Pugnax - The War Dog of the Roman Legions - Historical Curiosities - See U in History

dogs were extremely valued in ancient Rome and other cultures the Roman dog especially performed task as Hunters Guardians and companions but in the case of War Dogs this is an old military practice generally used for intimidation Pursuit combat and tracking in this video we will cover the leading dog used in combat the canis pugnucks the term canis pugnax refers to a breed that does not exist today these dogs arose through the crossing of dogs of the Molasses breed of Greek origin being large hairy and heavy they were used to protect cattle and horses in some cases they were also trained to hunt and fight being referred to by Greek and Roman philosophers poets and playwrights eventually the Greek molasses became extinct for unknown reasons and we do not know when this happened but debris gave rise to three categories molasses bulldogs and Mastiffs categories that branched out into dozens of other breeds with common traits in view of this diversity some breeds were used by the Romans to breed War Dogs the use of dogs in the Roman army began even in the Republic yes the Romans were already breeding dogs before that to be guards hunters and faithful companions but as room grew the number of armed conflicts increased the conquest of territories and assimilation of cultures traditions and species of animals and plants were emerging in Roman culture the Greeks Germans Gauls and other peoples already use War Dogs the Romans realized the potential of this decision although too late to fulfill the role of guards and fighters in the Arenas the Romans crossed different breeds of molasses to achieve the model that suited their liking large dogs about 60 centimeters tall with a rough appearance intimidating bark weighing between 40 and 50 kilos black in color obedience territorial loyal and fears the Roman molasses was specially adapted for fighting purposes being called kinis pugnax or fighting dog in the 4th Century BC fighting between Gladiators became regular and prestigious in the Roman world the besides fighting between men combat with animals became frequent from a certain period of the second century BC both in Hunts and in direct fighting between Gladiators and animals wild animals such as lions leopards elephants bears and domestic animals such as Bulls horses and dogs were used fights could include combat between animals only in other cases dogs and other animals were trained to do tricks these animals were also used to intimidate or execute prisoners and criminals the ferocious animals were released into the arena after being subjected to a period of fasting their death had to be spectacular in many cases there was a kind of race with bulls or rhinos fights between animals and also hunts where the animals chased unarmed men who ended up Torn to Pieces much attention was paid to the sonography which tried to recreate the natural environment of the beasts the canis pugnax was intended to be used in the Arenas in the deadly games between gladiators but the Romans realized that these fighting dogs could be added to the Army as we said above many peoples already had war dogs in fact as the Roman domains Annex parts of Gaul Germania and Britannia the Romans learned about other dog breeds Crossing them with their own molasses this gave rise to new breeds of pugnax canis but these dogs were not mistreated at all they were highly honored and well cared for often the owner's reputation and livelihood depended on the dog's performance in a fight therefore they received more care and attention than many of the slaves in Rome or some of their relatives sometimes the Romans had to face war dogs in conflicts with the germanics and Celts in the battle for chale against the simbri in 101 BC they fought fierce animals the dogs quarreled with the Romans even when their owners were already dead or enslaved they also defended the Fortified camp at the simbury more effectively and for longer the Romans were only able to storm the fortifications after killing all the animals sometime later still in the first century BC the use of War Dogs by the Roman armies came into consideration when Julius Caesar and other generals invaded Gaul and Britannia the Romans faced these dogs again and became more interested in their use and other military campaigns War training was not simple the dog had to live with the entire court distinguished friends from enemies by smell clothing and armor smell was the dog's most important ability therefore they had to socialize with and accept food from all the legionnaires of the Garrison and the castra land used as camps or defensive positions dogs also had to learn verbal commands if a stranger entered the camp with a specific order the animal did not have to pounce on him as if facing an enemy dogs had to respect the order of attack in a battle but all the various calls and the order to stop or return when needed unlike Barbarian war dogs that attacked any foreign intervention Roman dogs obeyed orders as if they were soldiers the canis pugnax was strong combative and brave but also agile and fast it could cover considerable distances daily on the Plains and mountains withstanding all kinds of weather the Roman Legions moved on foot over distances of up to 35 kilometers a day with a heavy load on their backs they also had to clear a large piece of land and build a castrum from scratch to spend the night meanwhile dogs as well as centuries ensured that no one approached the camp the construction of a Roman Camp was the most dangerous time for Legionnaires in case they were being spied upon the enemies had a good opportunity to attack them dismantling the castrum was also dangerous because they had to remove the tents the altars and the fence pack everything load the wagons and feed the animals and themselves not least because it was difficult to do this while moving dogs were particularly important as protection on these occasions but the use of dogs by the Roman army was not as common as some people think there are few accounts of dogs used on the battlefield although there is the possibility that some authors did not give such importance to these animals perhaps this is why they disregarded their presence in the camps and even though they were important in combat and guarding interestingly the Greeks have more accounts of the use of war dogs than the Romans there are even records that King Philip II Macedon and Alexander the Great highly esteem these animals even serving as guard dogs in the Roman case reporters of the use of war dogs are scarcerer this suggests that it was not something usual in the Army generally poets and writers extolled dogs as guard hunting and fighting animals in the Arenas but barely spoke of their use on the battlefield the historian Publius tacitus wrote the presence of the Gods in camps and bases acting as gourds sometimes they were used to intimidate prisoners and capture fugitives but such use in battle was not regular tacitus also wrote that the legions in Germania Britannia Dacia and Thrace use more guard dogs than usual during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius the Romans used pugnak's canis in Warfare according to the monument dedicated to the emperor the column of Marcus Aurelius completed in 193 A.D after the emperor's death shows dogs used in some campaigns but we do not know what their purpose was where they guard and tracking dogs or were they used in battles we cannot deny that dogs were important part of Roman life and culture they were treated as if they were family members when they died they were even honored with tombs and gravestones I want to know your opinion too so write what you think about this relationship between the ancient Romans and dogs in addition to their use in combat and in guarding the legionaries and if you enjoyed the video please like And subscribe to our Channel [Music] foreign

Channel: See U in History / Mythology

Views: 886,746

Keywords: history, mythology, See You in History, See u in history

Id: 9TT55k0eGqo

Length: 9min 12sec (552 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 27 2022