Dogs in ancient Egypt: history, breeds, and mummies
See the real story – guest starring your dog.
If you want to know how ancient Egyptians felt about their dogs, look at their tombs. You can still see some of that evidence today, including in museum collections.
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The story in 7 parts
A short version first. The full story, with every detail, is further down.
Part 1
How early did Egyptians keep dogs
Dogs appear to have been domesticated in Egypt before cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and donkeys, based on grave goods and other evidence.
Part 2
What role dogs played
Egyptian dogs served as hunters, guards, police and military animals, and household pets.
Part 3
Which breeds appear in the art
Scholars have identified several distinct kinds of dog in Egyptian art, though the ancient names for most of them are not known.
Part 4
Dogs and the pharaohs
Several pharaohs are named among owners of greyhound-type dogs, including Tutankhamen, Amenhotep II, Thutmose III, Queen Hatshepsut, and Cleopatra VII.
Part 5
Mummified dogs and pet burials
A mummified dog was found in Tomb KV50, near the tomb of King Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings.
Part 6
The lost tomb of Nebamun
One of the most famous sets of Egyptian tomb paintings came from the tomb of Nebamun, a scribe and grain counter who lived around 1350 BCE.
Part 7
Dogs in Egyptian religion
The jackal-headed god Anubis was closely tied to mummification and the afterlife, and some scholars link the mummified dog from Tomb KV50 to that connection.
Read the full story
Part 1
How early did Egyptians keep dogs
Dogs appear to have been domesticated in Egypt before cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and donkeys, based on grave goods and other evidence. An early tomb painting dated to around 3500 BCE shows a man walking his dog on a leash, a scene that still looks familiar today. The collar and leash themselves may have been developed earlier by the Sumerians, since dogs were domesticated sooner in that region. So your dog's leash has a very long history behind it.
Part 2
What role dogs played
Egyptian dogs served as hunters, guards, police and military animals, and household pets. The Egyptian word for dog, iwiw, referenced the sound of a bark. Temple and tomb walls show pharaohs hunting and fighting from chariots with dogs beside them. Many Egyptians considered the birth of a hound second in importance only to the birth of a son, and families mourned when a pet hound died.
Part 3
Which breeds appear in the art
Scholars have identified several distinct kinds of dog in Egyptian art, though the ancient names for most of them are not known. The Basenji, called a dog of the villagers, was used for hunting small game and as a companion and guard dog, and came from Nubia. The Greyhound appears in Egyptian images from around 4250 BCE, was used in open hunts for large game, and was also kept as a pet and guard dog. It may also be the breed shown in battle scenes such as the Victory Stele of Ramesses II. The Ibizan, probably the dog most often shown in Egyptian art, is thought to be the breed usually called the tesem, the typical hunting dog of Egypt. A breed resembling the later Pharaoh Hound appears on the funerary stele of Intef II near the end of the First Intermediate Period. The Saluki was first bred in Mesopotamia and later became popular in Egypt too, where it is shown in tomb paintings and stelae as a hunting dog and companion.
Part 4
Dogs and the pharaohs
Several pharaohs are named among owners of greyhound-type dogs, including Tutankhamen, Amenhotep II, Thutmose III, Queen Hatshepsut, and Cleopatra VII. An Egyptian tomb painting from around 2200 BCE shows dogs that look very much like the modern greyhound. If you compare that to your own dog, the resemblance across thousands of years is striking.
Part 5
Mummified dogs and pet burials
A mummified dog was found in Tomb KV50, near the tomb of King Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings. It was unearthed in 1906 by the archaeologist Edward R. Ayrton, and the tomb also held a mummified baboon. Given the tomb's location, the dog likely dates to the 18th Dynasty. The dog was carefully wrapped in linen and placed in the tomb beside the baboon, though the exact mummification method used is not recorded. Some Egyptians named their dogs, and more than seventy dog names have been translated from mummified remains, showing real affection for these companions. In one case, a man named Hapymen had his dog mummified and placed near his own coffin so it could stay with him. Mourning a pet was taken seriously, and traditional practices after a pet's death included wailing and shaving one's eyebrows.
Part 6
The lost tomb of Nebamun
One of the most famous sets of Egyptian tomb paintings came from the tomb of Nebamun, a scribe and grain counter who lived around 1350 BCE. His tomb was found around 1820 by Giovanni d'Athanasi, who was working for the British Consul-General Henry Salt at the time. D'Athanasi and his workmen cut the wall paintings out with knives, saws, and crowbars, and Salt then sold the pieces to the British Museum in 1821. The exact location of the tomb was kept secret and was later lost, and d'Athanasi died in poverty without ever revealing where it was. Scientific analysis carried out in 2008 and 2009 pointed to the tomb's location near Dra' Abu el-Naga'. The paintings include a famous fowling scene showing Nebamun hunting birds in the marshes. You can still see these restored fragments today, since the British Museum opened a gallery dedicated to them in 2009.
Part 7
Dogs in Egyptian religion
The jackal-headed god Anubis was closely tied to mummification and the afterlife, and some scholars link the mummified dog from Tomb KV50 to that connection. Because Egyptians believed mummification was needed to enter the afterlife, mummifying a pet dog was likely meant to secure its place there too. This shows how much dogs mattered to their owners, not just in daily life but after death as well.
Questions people ask
Did ancient Egyptians keep dogs as pets
Yes, dogs were domesticated in Egypt and kept as pets and hunters.
What breeds of dog did the Egyptians have
Egyptian art shows several distinct kinds of dog, including the Basenji, Greyhound, Ibizan, a breed resembling the Pharaoh Hound, and the Saluki. The ancient Egyptian names for most of these breeds are not known.
Were dogs mummified in ancient Egypt
Yes, a mummified dog was found in Tomb KV50 near the tomb of King Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings. It was discovered in 1906 and is thought to date to the 18th Dynasty.
What is the tomb of Nebamun
The tomb of Nebamun belonged to a scribe and grain counter who lived around 1350 BCE, and it held a set of famous painted wall scenes. The tomb itself was lost after its discovery, but its paintings are now on display in the British Museum.
Did Egyptian pharaohs own dogs
Several pharaohs are named as owners of greyhound-type dogs, including Tutankhamen, Amenhotep II, Thutmose III, Hatshepsut, and Cleopatra VII.
How did Egyptians mourn the loss of a dog
Mourning a pet dog was taken seriously, and traditional practices included wailing and shaving one's eyebrows. Some dogs were even mummified and placed near their owner's coffin so they could remain together.
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Sources
- Tomb of Nebamun - Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org.
- 569 Greyhound Art Stock Photos and High-Res Images - Getty Images. www.gettyimages.com.
- History of Greyhounds — FastFriends. FastFriends.
- Dogs in Ancient Egypt. World History Encyclopedia, Mar 13, 2017.
- The Mummified Dog - Egypt Museum. Egypt Museum, Aug 17, 2024.
- Lost masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art from the Nebamun tomb-chapel - Journal of ART in SOCIETY. Journal of ART in SOCIETY.
- Greyhound Heraldry Coat of Arms symbols and their meanings. Knight Shields.
- Greyhound Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name Meaning. Crests & Arms.
- Hound (heraldry) - Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org.
Written by TimeWalkies EditorialLast updated How we research