Flat-Faced Breeds – They May Be Older Than We Thought

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336 – May, 2023

By Caroline Coile

Frenchies are now the #1 AKC breed, but dogs with flat faces may have been stealing hearts as long as 2,000 years ago. That’s according to an archaeological find made in 2007, but only analyzed recently. The dog was buried at the feet of what was probably its human owner in Tralleis (now Aydin in modern-day Turkey). Comparing the skull and jawbone to 54 modern-day breeds, researchers from a team of researchers led by Vedat Onar from Istanbul University-Cerrahpa?a found them to be most similar to the French Bulldog and Pekingese. The shape was more similar to the French Bulldog while the size more similar to the Pekingese. The dog was young, maybe 18 months old, but showed no signs of tooth wear or other trauma that might be expected in a working dog even of that age, suggesting it was kept as a pet.

Radiocarbon dating suggests the dog lived between 169 BCE and 8 CE, in the early stages of the Roman Empire. This is the second known specimen of a flat-faced dog dating to the Roman age, suggesting it was not a freak of nature but more likely purposefully bred and nurtured.

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336 – May, 2023

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=261935

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