A Roman gold ring with an engraved Carnelian gem which depicts a young man giving his dog a tasty snack, c. 3rd to 2nd century.
Many Romans loved their dogs and would not only have them depicted in their jewelry but also make graves for them with personal epitaphs. Here are just a few of them:
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“I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands fifteen years ago.”
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“Thou who passest on this path, If haply thou dost mark this monument, Laugh not, I pray thee, though it is a dog’s grave. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me By a master’s hand.”
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“To Helena, foster child, soul without comparison and deserving of praise.”
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“This is the tomb of the dog, Stephanos, who perished, Whom Rhodope shed tears for and buried like a human. I am the dog Stephanos, and Rhodope set up a tomb for me.”
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“[Myia] never barked without reason, but now he is silent.”
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“Here the stone says it holds the white dog from Melita, the most faithful guardian of Eumelus; Bull they called him while he was yet alive; but now his voice is prisoned in the silent pathways of night.”
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“Issa’s more pert than Lesbia’s sparrow love, Purer than kisses of a turtle-dove, More sweet than a hundred maidens rolled in one, Rarer than wealthy India’s precious stone. She is the pet of Publius, Issa dear; She Whines, a human voice you seem to hear.”
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“Surely even as thou liest dead in this tomb I deem the wild beasts yet fear thy white bones, huntress Lycas; and thy valor great Pelion knows, and splendid Ossa and the lonely peaks of Cithaeron.”
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“You who pass on this path, if you happen to see this monument, laugh not, I pray, though it is a dog’s grave. Tears fell for me, and the dust was heaped above me by a master’s hand.”
