Re: Pekkanen on Bastarnae

>Early history It is generally accepted that about 2700 years ago
>there were massively sized dogs being bred in the area of the
>present day middle east. These dogs were reportedly big enough to
>fight lions and elephants.

Are these dogs supposed to have been ... Molossian dogs?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molossus_(dog)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaunt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Mastiff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangal_Dog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbash_Dog

Anyway, various types of such large shepherd dogs were typical of
East-Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, and some of them were
"exported" to central and western Europe during the "migration
period".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_Period

Also cf. ovcharka

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Ovcharka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Ovcharka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Gampr_dog

as well as

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maremma_Sheepdog (Maremmano abruzzese)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuvasz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovak_Cuvac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakachan_Dog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%c2%8aarplaninac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrenean_Mastiff

etc.

>The Bullenbijter

in German: "Bullenbeisser".

>- When Jan van Riebeeck and his entourage arrived
>in Cape Town in 1652 from Holland they brought with them dogs that
>were referred to as Bullenbijters. Later they were joined by other
>Mastiff type dogs from France and Germany.

Also cf. Mastino napolitano:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_Mastiff

George