Laconian (dog)

For other uses, see Laconia.
Laconian
Statue of a hunting dog with Laconian characteristics found in the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia on the Acropolis.
Other names
  • Λάκαινα
  • Spartan
  • Castorian
  • Lacedaemonian
  • Λακωνικοί Κύνες
  • Lakonikoí Kýnes
OriginLaconia, Ancient Greece
Breed statusExtinct
Traits
Colour tan with white markings or black with tan markings
Litter size up to 8
Dog (domestic dog)
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The Laconian (Ancient Greek: Λάκαινα, romanized: Lakaina), also known as the Spartan and the Castorian, is an extinct dog breed from Ancient Greece typically used for hunting.

The breed originating in Laconia, a region of Ancient Greece, famous for its city state, Sparta.

The Laconian were famed throughout the ancient world for their hunting skill and swiftness,[1] and were widely depicted in classical sculptures, mosaics, gravestones and drinking cups.[2][3][4] They were famed for their hunting skills,[5] with their speed, stamina and olfactory tracking abilities often praised by contemporary writers, including Pollux,[1] Xenophon,[5] Sophocles,[6] Aristotle,[7] Plato,[8] Theophrastus,[9] Oppian,[10] Horace,[11] Claudian,[12] Pliny the Elder,[13] and Petronius.[14]

  1. ^ a b Pollux, Onomasticon 5, 37
  2. ^ "Rhyton with the Head of a Laconian Dog - Workshop of the Patera and Baltimore Painters". Google Arts & Culture. Title: Rhyton with the Head of a Laconian Dog Creator: Workshop of the Patera and Baltimore Painters Creator Lifespan: 320 BC Creator Nationality: Apulian Creator Death Place: Apulia Creator Birth Place: Apulia Date Created: 340 BC - 320 BC Physical Dimensions: w10 x h23.5 cm Rights: Fondazione artistica Poldi Pezzoli "Onlus" External Link: http://www.museopoldipezzoli.it/en/node/1024 Medium: Ceramic
  3. ^ Attic red-figure cup, detail of a Laconian hound scratching his head, by the Euergides Painter, c.500 BC (ceramic), Greek, (6th century BC) / Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, UK / The Bridgeman Art Library
  4. ^ An athlete and his dog. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston acc. No. 01.8038) Kylix interior; Brygos Painter, 500–450.
  5. ^ a b Xenophon. The Sportsman: On Hunting, a Sportsman's Manual, Commonly Called Cynegeticus. Translated by Dakyns, Henry Graham. There are two breeds of sporting dogs: the Castorian and the fox-like. (1) The former get their name from Castor, in memory of the delight he took in the business of the chase, for which he kept this breed by preference. (2) The other breed is literally foxy, being the progeny originally of the dog and the fox, whose natures have in the course of ages become blent.

    (1) Kastoriai, or Laconian, approaching possibly the harrier type; alopekides, i.e. vulpocanine, hybrid between fox and dog.
    (2) Or, "get their appellation from the fact that Castor took delight in the business of the chase, and kept this breed specially for the purpose." Al. diephulaxen, "propagated and preserved the breed which we now have." See Darwin, Animals and Plants under Domestication, ii. 202, 209.
    (3) Or, "and through lapse of time the twofold characteristics of their progenitors have become blent." See Timoth. Gaz. ap. Schneid. ad loc. for an ancient superstition as to breeds.
  6. ^ Sophocles, Ajax 8
  7. ^ Aristotle, Historia Animalium 574A
  8. ^ Plato, Parmenides 128C
  9. ^ Theophrastus, Characters 21, 14
  10. ^ Oppian, Cynegetica 1, 396
  11. ^ Horace (circa 66 BCE-9 BCE). Epodes. Original latin quote: “nam qualis aut Molossus aut fulvos Lacon,       amica vis pastoribus" Translated: “For, like a Molossian, or tawny Laconian dog, that is a friendly assistant to shepherds” (alternate location)
  12. ^ Claudian, Stilicho 3, 302
  13. ^ Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturalis 10, 177–178
  14. ^ Petronius, Satyricon 2, 40