Historical Overview It is one of the oldest breeds in the world. Its exact origin is unknown, but it is known that it was already known in ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. The question of the name of this breed has never been clear. This race comes from the island of Meleda (Kalimachos in 230 BCE wrote about it as the island of Melitaeus), located in the Mediterranean Sea, and mistakenly recognized as Malta. According to Strabo, these dogs in ancient times lived in Malta, which was once called Melita. The Maltese was never a working dog, it was supposed to keep people company. The owner of a bitch of this breed was, among others, living in the 1st century CE. the Roman governor of Malta who commissioned a portrait of his dog. The information about the Maltese sold for the equivalent of $ 2,000 comes from 1607.
