A Dog’s life
During archaeological work and excavation in Iran we always have some indigenous animal company. Usually they behave silently and keep a safe distance to Homo sapiens. We probably seem to them far more like Homo Erectus, who is just practicing walking upright, rather than Homo Sapiens.
The relation between society and animals in general and Dogs in particular is rather complicated. While sheep are considered as moving Kebab, dogs are guardians of the future kebab against the wolfs or thieves, and that is an honorable task. At the other hand dogs are considered as impure animals. In fact; Iran is a country of strong contradictions. We have made it a habit to ourselves to feed stray dogs and cats in neighbourhoods by undergoing the astonishing glance of the local people.
We met the gentleman in picture 1 during an archaeological survey together with our colleagues from the University of Tabriz in the state of Azerbaijan in Iran. It was a hot day and we were walking down the mountain and the dog walked. We crossed path with the dog walking its way up the mountain. My colleagues swerved around the fellow.
It got wet by splashing in the puddle nearby. The dog climbed the highest rock in the area (which had some resemblance with Lion King’s Pride rock), sat down and enjoyed complacently the view of the vast valley below him and the warm breeze.
During our excavation last year we engaged a young man, a local sheppard, to guard the site from illicit diggers and tomb raiders in the night. Once I asked him why he doesn’t take his dogs to have company and support. He answered: If I bring my dogs to the site, first thing illicit diggers will take, are my dogs. Who cares for artifacts!?
Donkeys are integrated better in the rural society…even if their life may not be a permanent vacation.
One can see them in the prairie often in the shadow under a tree.
….or fulfilling daily routines.
Horses are a completely different story. Equus Sapiens, the intelligent horse, improved definitely its status in the last decades. Now it looks down on us.
By A.Darvish Zadeh
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