2000 year old dog found

Velvetboxers

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Location: U K

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24-03-2011, 11:38 PM

2000 year old dog found

2,000 year old dog returns to guard treasure!

A two thousand year old dog that was sacrificed and buried to guard the Hallaton Treasure will go on display for the first time at Harborough Museum in Leicestershire. Visitors can catch a first glimpse of it when it goes on display at the museum on Saturday 29th January.

The Hallaton dog was one of three large dogs whose remains were buried at the Iron Age shrine between AD 1 and 50. The skeleton chosen for display is from the second dog buried in the entranceway of the shrine and is the most complete. Until recently the remains were held at University of Leicester where they were studied and pieced back together by specialists at the University of Leicester Archaeological Services. The dog bones will be housed in a specially designed case located in the entranceway to the Hallaton Treasure Gallery, imitating the location of the dog burial at the shrine.

It is thought likely that the dog was sacrificed and buried at the site by members of the Corieltavi tribe who lived in the area around Hallaton in the early 1st century AD. The dog was around the same height and build as a modern German Shepherd and was quite old by the time it died. It was above average height for an Iron Age canine and this has led to speculation that it was a guard dog buried to safeguard the shrine and its treasures which included over 5000 Iron Age and Roman coins, a Roman cavalry parade helmet and other mysterious silver objects.

David Sprason, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities said:

"It is fitting that the remains of this dog be reunited with the magnificent objects from the Hallaton Treasure and find a new home at the award-winning Harborough Museum. The dog’s story is yet another intriguing aspect of this nationally important find and illustrates the special relationship between humans and dogs that has existed for thousands of years."

Visitors to the Museum on Saturday 29 January will be the first people to view the dog on display. On this day younger visitors will be encouraged to draw a picture of how they think the dog may have looked when it was alive. They can also draw a picture of their pet and add it to the Museum’s “Pets Corner” which celebrates our pets and what they mean to us. Older visitors can print out a picture of their pet at home and bring it in to add to Pets Corner. There will also be the chance to vote on a new name for the Hallaton dog to welcome it.