On a drizzly night in 73 AD, Roman soldiers heading to Europe with the notion of conquering it stopped in the Wurtemberg area of Germany. As it turns out, their stop turned out to be semi-permanent. Instead of traveling with fresh meat that would spoil, they had brought along cows that could be butchered as needed. To keep the cattle in line, dogs were also brought along, and once the soldiers settled, the cattle were let loose to graze, the dogs given a good long rest.
Permanent residency didn’t last. Most historians think the Romans were ousted from the area around 260 A.D. and left behind some of their dogs, but other sources suggest that at least some of these soldiers stayed on along with their dogs.
What is known with certainty is that the people who settled in Wurtemberg covered their houses with roofs made of the area’s red-colored clay, and that the settlement that sprang up came to be known as “das Rote Wil” – “rot” for the red tiles, and “wil” from the Roman word for “villa.” In time, the town came to be known as “Rottweil” (you see where this is going now, right?), and the dogs the Romans had relied upon during the long journey flourished and interbred with local dogs to create the modern day Rottweiler.
Image of a pastel of “Smithy,” a Rottweiler by Mark Whittaker
Thank you for sharing this colorful story. And thanks to the Romans who brought their colossus dogs to Germany to become the versatile, intelligent animals we know and love.
It’s our pleasure, Cynthia. It’s a fine legend, even if not true, but somehow, there’s a ring of authenticity to the basic facts that we believe it!
Lovely story. We have owned 3 Rottweilers, each special in their own right
Thank you, Catherine. Rotties are terrific dogs, so loving, loyal, and surprisingly goofy at times!
What a lovely story, my friend sent for my 60th!
I’m loving my 4th beautiful German girl Aura Vom Regalhaus & going for #5 it will always be my breed until my body can’t keep up!
Happy birthday, Lori (you Spring Chicken!). You have a marvelous breed!