The Rottweiler is a breed whose history is somewhat shrouded. One theory has it that the ancestors of the breed were the dogs which were brought to Europe as War Dogs by the legions of Rome and some were left behind as the Legionnaires marched onwards. In any case, in the city of Rottweiler, a flourishing commercial and agricultural marketplace in southern Germany, for many centuries there was a breed of dog with the general appearance of the Rottweiler of today. This dog was used for its droving abilities and as a guardian against marauding animals and thieves. The animal was such an excellent protector against thieves that it has been noted in history that the moneybags for trade at the market were carried around the necks of these dogs.