Editing Greyhound (section)

== History ==
[[File:Bronzen beeldje hazewindhond ForumHadriani 015501 RMO Leiden.jpg|thumb|Bronze figure probably of a {{lang|la|vertragus}} (sighthound), Roman period (50–270 AD)]]
[[File:Paolo Uccello 054.jpg|thumb|Sighthounds unleashed in [[Paolo Uccello]]'s [[The Hunt in the Forest]] ([[Ashmolean Museum]]) (1470)]]
[[File:John Everett Millais - Isabella.jpg|thumb|A greyhound depicted in ''Isabella'', the 1849 [[Pre-Raphaelite]] painting by [[John Everett Millais|Millais]]]]

===Origins===
"The true origin of the greyhound is unsure, but drawings of findings from the [[Çatalhöyük]] site in Turkey (6000 BC), the finding of a greyhound-''like'' dog in a funeral vase in the town of Fusa in [[Iran]] (4200 BC) or in rock art in [[Tassili n'Ajjer|Tassili]] (dated at 5000 – 2000 BC) indicate that the greyhound is indeed one of the oldest breeds of dog.".<ref name="remains">SVOBODOVÁ, H., BARTOŠ, M., NÝVLTOVÁ FIŠÁKOVÁ, M. and KOUŘIL, P., (2015). Genetic analysis of possibly the oldest greyhound remains within the territory of the Czech Republic as a proof of a local elite presence at Chotěbuz-Podobora hillfort in the 8th–9th century AD. SbNM B, 71, pp.17-24.
[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miriam_Nyvltova_Fisakova/publication/283696817_Genetic_analysis_of_possibly_the_oldest_greyhound_remains_within_the_territory_of_the_Czech_Republic_as_a_proof_of_a_local_elite_presence_at_Hotebuz-Podobora_hillfort_in_the_8th-9th_century_AD/links/5677cf1908ae0ad265c7ed29/Genetic-analysis-of-possibly-the-oldest-greyhound-remains-within-the-territory-of-the-Czech-Republic-as-a-proof-of-a-local-elite-presence-at-Hotebuz-Podobora-hillfort-in-the-8th-9th-century-AD.pdf]</ref>

The ancient skeletal remains of a dog identified as being of the greyhound/[[saluki]] form were excavated at [[Tell Brak]] in modern Syria, and dated as being approximately 4,000 years old.<ref>Clutton-Brock, J., 1989. A dog and a donkey excavated at Tell Brak. ''Iraq'', 51, pp.217-224.</ref><ref>Structured Deposition of Animal Remains in the Fertile Crescent during the Bronze Age, José Luis Ramos Soldado, Archaeopress, 2016, p12, {{ISBN|9781784912697}}</ref> Dogs that look similar to Salukis and Greyhounds were increasingly depicted on Egyptian tombs from the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] (2134 BC–1785 BC) onward.<ref name="royalhunt">{{cite book |author-link1=Thomas T. Allsen |last=Allsen |first=Thomas T. |title=The Royal Hunt in Eurasian History |date=2006 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-3926-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6V9MtZT6go0C&q=saluki&pg=PA55 |access-date=20 October 2020 |archive-date=7 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107232958/https://books.google.com/books?id=6V9MtZT6go0C&q=saluki&pg=PA55 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Historical literature by [[Arrian]] on the vertragus (from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|vertragus}}, a word of Celtic origin),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Arrian|last2=Dansey|first2=W.|title=Arrian on coursing : the Cynegeticus of the younger Xenophon, translated from the Greek, with classical and practical annotations, and a brief sketch of the life and writings of the author. To which is added an appendix, containing some account of the Canes venatici of classical antiquity|publisher=Bohne|year=1831|pages=[https://archive.org/details/arrianoncoursing00arri/page/74 74]|url=https://archive.org/details/arrianoncoursing00arri|author1-link=Arrian}}</ref> the first recorded sighthound in Europe and possible antecedent of the Greyhound, suggested that its origin lies with the [[Celts]] from Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Systematic archaeozoology of Britain conducted in 1974<ref>Harcourt, R.A., 1974. The dog in prehistoric and early historic Britain. ''Journal of Archaeological Science'', 1(2), pp.151-175.</ref> ruled out the existence of a true greyhound-type in Britain prior to the Roman occupation, which was further confirmed in 2000.<ref>Clark, K.M., 2000. Dogged persistence: the phenomenon of canine skeletal uniformity in British prehistory. ''BAR International Series'', 889, pp.163-170.</ref> Written evidence from the early period of Roman occupation, the [[Vindolanda tablets]] (No. 594), demonstrate that the occupying troops from Continental Europe either had with them in the North of England, or certainly knew of, the vertragus and its hunting use.<ref>Bowman, Alan K; Thomas, J David (2003). ''The Vindolanda writing-tablets (Tabulae Vindolandenses III)''. British Museum Press. {{ISBN|978-0-7141-2249-6}}.</ref>

During the [[Middle Ages]], greyhounds could only be owned by rulers and nobles, having long been associated with heraldic symbols of the ruling class in England, France, and the [[Czech Republic|Czech]] lands.<ref name=remains/>

The earliest archaeological discovery found conclusively to be a greyhound specifically was at the [[Chotěbuz]] fort in the [[Czech Republic]]. This comprised sighthound type "gracile" bones dating from the 8th to 9th century AD.  These bones matched those of a {{cvt|70|cm}} high "greyhound", and were also genetically compared with the modern Greyhound and other sighthounds, and found to be almost completely identical with the modern Greyhound breed, with the exception of only four deletions and one substitution in the DNA sequences, which were interpreted as differences probably arising from 11 centuries of breeding of this type of dog.<ref name=remains/>

All modern pedigree Greyhounds derive from the Greyhound stock recorded and registered first in private studbooks in the 18th century, then in public studbooks in the 19th century, which ultimately were registered with coursing, racing, and kennel club authorities of the United Kingdom.<ref>''The Greyhound and the Hare: A history of the breed and the sport'' Charles Blanning, The National Coursing Club, 2018</ref> Historically, these [[sighthound]]s were used primarily for hunting in the open where their pursuit speed and keen [[eyesight]] were essential.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}}
[[File:St Guinefort.jpg|thumb|Contemporary illustration of [[Saint Guinefort]], a greyhound sainted by people in the Dombes region of France around the 13th century]]

===Etymology===
The name "Greyhound" is generally believed to come from the [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|'[[wikt:grighund|grighund]]'}}. {{lang|ang|Hund}} is the antecedent of the modern "hound", but the meaning of {{lang|ang|grig}} is undetermined, other than in reference to dogs in Old English and [[Old Norse]]. The word "hund" is still used for dogs in general in [[North Germanic languages|Scandinavian languages]] today. Its origin does not appear to have any common root with the modern word "grey"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Richardson |first1=Charles |title=A New Dictionary of the English Language |date=1839 |publisher=Oxford University |page=357}}</ref> for color, and indeed the Greyhound is seen with a wide variety of coat colors. The lighter colors, patch-like markings and white appeared in the breed that was once ordinarily grey in color.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

The Greyhound is the only dog mentioned by name in the [[Bible]] ({{Langx|he|זַרְזִיר מׇתְנַיִם}}, ''zarir mosna'im'') in {{bibleverse|Proverbs|30:29-31|JPS}}.{{Primary source inline|date=December 2023}} Many versions, including the [[Jewish Publication Society]] and [[King James Version]], name the Greyhound as one of the "three that are stately of stride". However, some newer biblical translations, including the [[New International Version]], have changed this to 'strutting rooster', which appears to be an alternative translation.

According to [[Julius Pokorny|Pokorny]],<ref name="Pokorny">Pokorny, ''Indogermanisches Woerterbuch'', pp. 441–442.</ref> the English term 'Greyhound' does not mean "grey dog/hound", but simply "fair dog". Subsequent words have been derived from the [[Proto-Indo-European root]] '''*g'her-''' "shine, twinkle": English 'grey', [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|gris}} "grey, old", [[Old Norse|Old Icelandic]] {{Transliteration|non|griss}} "piglet, pig", Old Icelandic {{Transliteration|non|gryja}} "to dawn", {{Transliteration|non|gryjandi}} "morning twilight", [[Old Irish language|Old Irish]] {{lang|sga|grian}} "sun", [[Old Church Slavonic]] {{Transliteration|cu|zorja}} "morning twilight, brightness". The common sense of these words is "to shine; bright".{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In 1928, the first winner of [[List of Best in Show winners of Crufts|Best in Show]] at [[Crufts]] was breeder/owner Mr. H. Whitley's Greyhound ''[[Primley Sceptre]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://publicimages.thekennelclub.org.uk/fotoweb/preview.fwx?position=25&archiveType=ImageFolder&sorting=AlfaNumericAsc&search=Best%20In%20Show&fileId=CAA309CA2B45FDD29219EA37FB8F3318B1E3BD5A8210D2E3D97D177413C599D30B09DE824120421FF42F7CBB7956AF6A04830F72BF837AF1985421389B90159C05C95DBF35CF1F925BD81D11FE94CB8625B0B90E54CB66303FFEA8D1C7C512623A510E5D14ABA248EB74246C91833C793DADBA15E6460876DC941FD8738ECE5330A5B5115C2ED07805F74E585E23E6A4C2FFB13E2B058F687719D91FF97F7FC1EB4C2D448ED73CAE1AD57CF342D09BD41BF4CC0F2F4EBAC46B3F6BCC6BA230F6&|title=(No.584, pp19 & 121)}}</ref> Greyhounds have won the award three times in total, the most recent being in 1956.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The winners from the past and present - Crufts|url=https://www.crufts.org.uk/about-us/past-and-present-winners/|access-date=2021-08-11|website=www.crufts.org.uk}}</ref>

Historically, English Greyhounds were grouped: two for coursing, as a "Brace", three for hunting, as a "Leash", otherwise known as a "couple and a half".<ref>''Turbervile's Booke of Hunting 1576'' Clarendon Press 1908 p242</ref>