Among mummies, hieroglyphics, and names that still make our tails wag today.
You don't need to bother Indiana Jones to discover that, among the sands of the desert and the shadows of the temples, the ancient Egyptians had already understood everything: the dog was not just an animal, but a companion, a symbol, even a sacred being.
In those lands crossed by the Nile, where the sun rose with divine punctuality and the pyramids defied eternity, the dog walked alongside man… for at least four thousand years .
Dogs in hieroglyphics (and beyond)
Dogs appear as early as the tomb paintings of the early dynasties. We see them alongside hunters, chasing gazelles, or lying beside their masters, sometimes even before the throne. But they weren't just faithful servants: for some, they were part of the family.
The names carved on the tombstones prove it: Abuwtiyuw is perhaps the oldest dog known by name. His funerary stele, discovered and preserved in the Cairo Museum, depicts him treated like a courtier. It seems he was a royal dog, so beloved that he deserved a special burial offered directly by the pharaoh.
Egyptian Greyhounds (and their modern cousins)
Many of the dogs depicted have long muzzles and erect ears, similar to the Tesem , ancient Egyptian sighthounds reminiscent of today's breeds like the Pharaoh Hound or the Saluki . Elegant, slender, and extremely fast, they were used primarily for hunting, but also as status symbols.
In some representations, they almost seem drawn with affection, with decorated collars and postures that speak of respect. They were not simply working animals: they were creatures with a role, an identity, even a personality.
When the dog becomes divine
But Egypt wouldn't be Egypt without a hint of mystery. Here, the dog transcends the everyday and touches the divine. Anubis, god of mummification and the dead, is perhaps the most famous canine deity: human-bodied, jackal-like (or dog-like) head, he watched over souls journeying to the afterlife.
And he wasn't the only one. Some scholars argue that Wepwawet, another canine deity, also represented spiritual guidance in the lands of the unknown. Dogs, in short, had a foot (or rather, a paw) in both worlds: that of the living and that of the dead.
Mummies with tails
Believe it or not, dogs were also mummified . In some cases, to accompany their owners into the afterlife, in others for votive purposes. Entire catacombs dedicated to dogs have been discovered in the Saqqara necropolis, with thousands of mummified specimens. Some with grave goods, amulets, and even engravings telling stories of affection.
This deep bond between man and dog was not common in all cultures of the time. While in other places animals were sacrificed or kept at a distance, in Egypt there was a respect that today we might call almost modern.
That gaze that spans the centuries
What remains of all this today? Certainly, it's a testament to how ancient and universal the bond between dog and human is. The steles, statues, and tombs all speak the same language: that of trust, affection, and companionship.
Imagining an Egyptian nobleman lounging beside his greyhound, as the sun sets behind the palm trees of the Nile, is an image that—if you look closely—is not so far from our own. The centuries change, the collars change, but that way of looking at each other , between humans and dogs, remains the same.
