One piece of ancient art in an archaeological find shows a man surrounded by over a dozen dogs, two of which are connected to him by lines that could represent leashes. In a recent news article in the journal Science, researchers discuss the importance of this discovery, along with other similar carvings, found on sandstone cliffs in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The engravings are believed to be at least 8000 years old, which makes them the oldest known artistic representations of dogs. The lines, probably leashes, suggest that humans trained and directed the behavior of dogs thousands of years earlier than previously estimated. Groups of dogs shown with people holding weapons suggests that the dogs participated in the humans’ hunting activities.
via Whisker Therapy