Today, ‘Beware of Dog’ signs are ubiquitous fixtures on fences globally. These notices, translated into languages from Latvian to Japanese, clearly indicate a menacing dog is on the property. Remarkably, these simple warnings date back thousands of years.
Some of the oldest examples come from Pompeii, the Roman city buried under volcanic ash in A.D. 79. In 1824, archaeologists excavating a Pompeiian house discovered an intricate mosaic showing a snarling black dog wearing a spiked collar and chain. Inscribed between the pet’s paws was the Latin phrase ‘CAVE CANEM’: Beware of Dog.
A considerable number of dogs played significant roles in Ancient Rome
The strong bond between ancient Romans and dogs is perhaps unsurprising, given the foundational legend of Rome’s founders, Romulus and Remus, being nursed by a she-wolf.
As the Roman Empire grew, its citizens acquired a diverse array of dog breeds, both indigenous to Italy and imported from regions like Britain and Greece. Their canine companions varied dramatically, from the imposing, mastiff-like Molossian to the small, white predecessors of today’s Maltese.
Ancient Romans employed dogs for a variety of purposes, such as hunting, racing, and companionship. However, a primary and vital role was their service as protectors of homes, businesses, and livestock. The poet Virgil underscored this utility, writing, “never with them on guard need you fear for your stalls a midnight thief, or onslaught of wolves.”
An ideal Roman guard dog was characterized by its large size and a formidable, deep bark. For domestic protection, darker-colored canines, such as those depicted in Pompeii murals, were particularly favored. The Roman writer Columella elaborated on this preference, observing that black dogs “terrify thieves in the daytime and [are] less visible to trespassers at night.”
Pompeii’s puppies
The House of the Tragic Poet, an ornate Pompeian residence adorned with frescoes, features a distinctive ‘Cave Canem’ (‘Beware of Dog’) mosaic at its entryway. Similar mosaics depicting chained canines were common at the entrances of many other Pompeii homes. Tragically, numerous such guard dogs perished alongside their owners during the eruption of Vesuvius. In one poignant discovery, archaeologists unearthed the imprint of a doomed dog, its body still contorted in a desperate, futile attempt to escape its collar.
A Sign of the Times
Given the widespread use of guard dogs, it’s highly probable that ‘Cave Canem’ (Beware the Dog) signs were common throughout the Roman Empire. Such warnings even found their way into contemporary literature. For instance, Petronius’s 1st-century satirical novel, Satyricon, vividly describes a character’s house featuring “an enormous dog upon a chain was painted upon the wall, and above him this inscription, in capitals: BEWARE THE DOG.”
These visual warnings seem to have influenced other authors. Notably, decades prior to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the Christian apostle Paul advised his followers in the Greek city of Philippi to shun evildoers, famously employing the warning “beware of dogs.” Paul’s epistle to the Philippians later became a canonical part of the New Testament in the Christian Bible.
