Sausage dogs could have been made to fight bears in the Colosseum of ancient Rome, archaeologists said

Archaeologists have said that packs of sausage dogs may have been used to fight larger animals in ancient Rome.

The remains of small dogs, similar to dachshunds, were found for the first time in the amphitheater's drain.

Many bones from dogs were similar to the sausage dog, according to the director of the Colosseum.

They were not taller than 30 cm. They may have been used to perform acrobatic tricks in the past. It's possible that they were used as part of a staged hunt. We do not know for certain.

In ancient Rome,Venatio was a type of entertainment that involved animals being trained to perform tricks or fighting each other.

The paper said that the dogs were ancestors of sausage dogs.

Dachs means badger in German, and the modern dachshund was developed to hunt badgers. They can be brave to the point of rashness because they were bred to be independent hunters.

Large dogs, leopards, lions, bears, and ostriches were among the animals found in the ancient drain.

During a year-long study, archaeologists combed through 70m of drain and sewer underneath the Colosseum, which could hold up to 50,000 spectators.

Fruits, nuts, and olives were found along with the animal remains.

They found more than 50 bronze coins from the late Roman period and a silver coin to commemorate the rule of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, who was popularized by the movie Gladiator.