Tesem
A drawing of two Tesems
|
|
| Other names | tsm |
|---|---|
| Origin |  Egypt |
| Patronage | Egypt |
| Breed status | Extinct |
| Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | |
Tesem (
= tsm) was the Ancient Egyptian name for "hunting dog". In popular literature it denotes the prick-eared, leggy dog with a curled tail from the early Egyptian age, but it was also used with reference to the lop-eared "saluki/sloughi" type;,[1] it was one of several types of dogs in Ancient Egypt, particularly the latter type had an appearance most similar to that of a greyhound.
Contents
History
Three main types of dogs are shown in Ancient Egypt, these being the pariah dog, the greyhound-like dog and a molosser-type dog.[2] It is assumed that there were two types of greyhound-like breeds, these being the older Tesem [3] and the saluki/sloughi type.[4] The two greyhound-types were clearly distinguished in tomb decorations,[5] with the Tesem thought to be similar to modern pariah dogs.[6] One writer believed that the name Tesem applied to both types of greyhound-like dogs.[1]
The prick-eared Tesem's origins are presumed to be from further south than Egypt, from Nubia and also the Land of Punt,[7] whose location is unclear but thought to be to the south east of Egypt on the Horn of Africa.[8]
A drawing of a Tesem type dog appears in Nagada, dated from the Protodynastic Period of Egypt (dated 3200 BC to 3000 BC). The dogs were drawn with upright ears and a tightly curled tail.[9] One of the earliest known recordings of these dogs is the "Khufu dog" from the tomb of King Khufu,[10] who reigned between 2609–2584 BC.[11] This dog was named Akbaru, and was depicted wearing a collar.[10]
They continued to appear during the Middle Kingdom period (2055 BC and 1650 BC), but by the time of the New Kingdom (1550 BC - 1069 BC), they were replaced by dogs with hanging ears and a straight tail.[9] These dogs were of the saluki/sloughi type.[12]
The Pharaoh Hound of Malta and the Cirneco dell'Etna of Sicily were both popularly and controversially thought to be possible descendants of the Tesem.[13] [14]
Description
Ancient Egyptians gave the name Tesem to the early curly tailed dogs that resembled a sighthound.[15] These dogs were featured on monuments,[15] and in wall paintings that showed their lean body with noticeable prick ears.[7] They had a greyish-yellow coat, with long legs and a broad prominent forehead. Their size exceeded the Pariah dogs of the time. The structure of their skeleton was closer to the modern terrier than that of the modern greyhound.[16]
See also
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Brixhe, Jean. 1996 Lévriers, chiens de chasse, de travail et de compagnie dans l'Egypte ancienne. University of Liege
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- ↑ Goldwasser (2002): p. 106
- ↑ Goldwasser (2002): p. 93
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