Enigmatic scenes of intimate contact with dogs in the Old Kingdom (original) (raw)

2010

Abstract

"Animals featured in all aspects of ancient Egyptian life and it is clear that Egyptian society felt compelled to represent them in their art, particularly in the Old Kingdom. The dog was depicted in a range of Old Kingdom tomb scenes in the company of various individuals: under the chair of the tomb owner, in packs instructed by a hunter, near officials overseeing work, with workmen in the fields, amongst the tomb owner's entourage in palanquin scenes and on route to fishing and fowling pursuits, and led by dependents or animal keepers. Despite such diversity in activities and human associations, Egyptologists usually view the dog as simply a 'pet' or 'hunting hound' (Tzm), whose master is the tomb owner. Three enigmatic images of personal physical contact (i.e. intimacy) between ancient Egyptians and their dogs question this assumption.3 Additionally, closer examination of these images focusing separately on the dogs, the humans and their interaction have provided significant insights about human-dog relations during the Old Kingdom, and have hinted at a knowledge of natural dog behaviour that perhaps exceeds that of pet owners today."

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