Description:
In this book, readers are shown how dogs fit into ancient Greek society with material from the last 90 years of excavations at the Athenian Agora by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Topics range from how ancient Greeks hunted with dogs and what they considered a proper dog’s name to the excavation of tender burials in the Agora and the sacrifice of dogs to the gods of the underworld. Mythological dogs like the three-headed Kerberos appear, as do the pawprints that very real dogs left behind more than a thousand years ago. Dozens of illustrations of pottery, sculpture, and excavated remains enliven the text. Anyone curious about dogs in antiquity and how they relate to dogs in the present day will be sure to find interesting material in this portable, affordable text.

Also available in modern Greek.

About the Author: Colin M. Whiting is Managing Editor in Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.

Reviews:
"[This book] offers an elegant synopsis of the data aimed at audiences with general interests in the site, excavations and, of course, dogs." Alyce R. Cannon, The Classical Review 73 (2023)

"This charming and informative little book is an excellent contribution to understanding the dog's role in a flourishing urban setting such as the ancient city state of Athens." Kenneth Kitchell, The Classical Outlook 98.2 (2023)