Assyrian Mastiff

Assyrian Mastiff
A drawing of a terracotta tablet found in Babylon[1]
OriginAssyria
Dog (domestic dog)

The Assyrian Mastiff,[2][3] was a landrace of dog found in Assyria. This dog was often used as a livestock guardian against predators, as well as for lion and wild horse-hunting. The modern Assyrian Shepherd (more recently also known as the Kurdish Mastiff) may be a descendant of the Assyrian mastiff.[4]

The name is most likely derived from the images of this type of dog that appear in Assyrian and other Mesopotamian reliefs dating from the 10th to 6th century BCE Neo-Assyrian Empire.[2][3][5][6][7]

  1. ^ Layard, Austen Henry (1882). Nineveh and Babylon : a narrative of a second expedition to Assyria during the years 1849, 1850, & 1851. University of California Libraries. London : J. Murray. p. 302.
  2. ^ a b Wynn, M.B. (1886). History of The Mastiff – Gathered From Sculpture, Pottery, Carvings, Paintings and Engravings; Also From Various Authors, With Remarks On Same (A Vintage Dog Books Breed Classic). Alcester: Read Books. p. 24. ISBN 9781446548929.
  3. ^ a b Darwin, Charles (1998). The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication (Johns Hopkins paperbacks ed.). Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 17. ISBN 9780801858666.
  4. ^ Gwatkin, R. D. S. (1 March 1933). "Dogs and human migrations". Journal of the South African Veterinary Association. 4 (3): 160. hdl:10520/AJA00382809_3273.
  5. ^ Mark, Joshua. "Dogs & Their Collars in Ancient Mesopotamia". World History Encyclopedia.
  6. ^ "History". American Molosser Association.
  7. ^ Leighton, Robert (1910). Dogs and All about Them. London: Cassell and Company. p. 2. ISBN 9781414291680.