Gladiator Inspired Dog Names

While he may not be a dog himself, the poet, writer, and agriculturist Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella was one of the most influential Romans when it came to dogs, let alone the greater agricultural climate of Ancient Rome. While there was little known about his personal life, Columella’s professional life is well documented in a mass of text, written primarily by the man himself. Although he did write a fair amount outside of educational texts, his most famous work is De Re Rustica (translated to On Agriculture), a comprehensive twelve volume account of Roman agriculture, which in part details his thoughts and knowledge on the beasts of the era, from farm animals to some of the most useful work and companion animals ever known to humankind: dogs. 

Within the context of his writing, it could be said that Columella was one of the very first to compile such detailed notes about the uses, relationships, and treatment of canines. Although he doesn’t dedicate a full volume to them or even close, the accomplishment is no less impressive. 

In his work, despite outlining the reasons for owning a dog being mostly for utility, Columella gives incredible credit to dogs in general. He first refers to them as “dumb guardians”, but clarifies to say that it is merely a manner of speaking. He then goes on to ask numerous rhetorical questions all pointing at the fact that dogs often make harder workers and better guards than most humans more often than not. He reiterates numerous times that they are not only faithful, but rarely give up their post, almost always follow orders without question (if well-trained), have much more awareness and sensory intelligence, are quicker-acting and are generally incorruptible once they’re sworn themselves to a master. He then concludes by saying that getting and training a dog is one of the first steps of any smart farmer. 

After the preface, he goes through each of the three types of dog an owner could potentially employ: a working dog, a guarding dog and a sporting/hunting dog, though he prefers to stick to the prior two, as they most closely pertain to his work. He details the size, personality and general demeanor potential dog-owners/farmers should seek out and even provides insight into how to handle them, subtle breeding tips, the proper ages for introducing them to their respective functions and more. He even goes so far as to provide naming suggestions, such as Ferox, unofficially claiming the title as one of the first dog-naming guide writers. Hint: he prefers dual-syllabic names for distinction and ease of call.