A faded inscription inside a 3,500-year-old Egyptian tomb reveals a dog's name, offering new insight into how ancient Egyptians honoured their animals and preserved their identities for the afterlife.
The dog, named “He-of-the-Underworld”, appears in a painted scene inside the tomb of User, an ancient Egyptian official who served as a scribe and steward under Pharaoh Thutmose I during the 18th Dynasty.
The discovery was made by researcher Chelsea Kaufman, who identified the previously overlooked name after examining photographs of the tomb’s wall paintings using digital image-enhancement technology.
The name is particularly significant because it appears to reference Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god associated with death, mummification and the afterlife.
The finding brings the total number of recorded dog names from ancient Egypt to 97.
Ancient inscription reveals forgotten dog's identity
The discovery was made in tomb TT 21, located at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna in the Theban Necropolis, near modern-day Luxor.
Inside the burial chamber, several painted offering scenes depict dogs wearing collars and sitting beneath their owner's chair, suggesting the animals held a special place in his household.
Two of the dogs had already been identified in earlier archaeological records as “Strong One” and “Trusty”. However, the name of a third dog, depicted on the chamber's eastern wall, had remained unreadable.
During her investigation, Kaufman noticed traces of an inscription behind the animal's head that had been overlooked in the original documentation.
Using DStretch, a digital image-enhancement plug-in for ImageJ, she was able to make the faded hieroglyphs more visible and identify the dog's name.
The inscription is translated as “He-of-the-Underworld”.
According to Kaufman, the name was also used as an epithet for Anubis, the jackal-headed deity who guided and protected the dead in ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.
Although a variation of the name had previously been documented for a human, this is the first known instance of its use for a dog.
Unusual appearance sets ancient Egyptian dog apart
The newly identified animal is also remarkable for its distinctive appearance in the tomb painting.
The dog is depicted with a slender white body, drooping ears, a curved tail and a collar. Its physical characteristics resemble those of the sloughi-type dogs frequently represented in artwork from Egypt's New Kingdom.
However, its coat features an unusual reddish, rippled pattern that researchers have not identified in other surviving depictions of ancient Egyptian dogs.
The markings bear a striking resemblance to the patterned clothing worn by User, who is shown seated above the animal while holding a bouquet of flowers.
Kaufman noted that the similarity could reflect a deliberate artistic choice, although the significance of the unusual coat pattern remains uncertain.
Another distinctive feature is the hieroglyph accompanying the dog's name.
Ancient Egyptian writing frequently used determinatives, symbols that helped clarify the meaning of words. In most recorded dog names, the determinative depicts a standing dog.
In this case, however, the symbol shows a seated animal that closely resembles the dog painted beneath User's chair.
Only one other recorded ancient Egyptian dog name is known to use a seated dog determinative, making the inscription exceptionally rare.
Discovery sheds light on how Egyptians valued their dogs
Dogs played several roles in ancient Egyptian society, serving as companions, hunting animals and guardians.
They also occupied an important place in religious symbolism, particularly through their association with Anubis and the journey into the afterlife.
Archaeologists have identified nearly 100 individual dog names dating from the Old Kingdom through to the Ptolemaic Period, with more than half discovered in private tombs.
Unlike many other animals depicted in Egyptian artwork, dogs were sometimes identified by their personal names, suggesting that their owners recognised them as individuals rather than simply as working animals.
Kaufman's research indicates that depicting a dog alongside its name in a burial chamber may have served a deeper religious purpose.
In ancient Egyptian funerary traditions, preserving a person's name and image was closely connected with maintaining their identity beyond death.
The same principle may have extended to cherished animals, allowing their identities to endure alongside those of their owners.
A lasting connection between humans and animals
The identification of “He-of-the-Underworld” adds another piece of evidence to researchers' understanding of the relationship between ancient Egyptians and their animals.
The dog’s unusual markings, carefully painted appearance, and distinctive name suggest it may have been of special significance to the owner.
Its association with the underworld also begs the question of whether the name had religious significance beyond just naming the animal.
While we don’t know exactly why they chose that name, the discovery shows how important it is to re-examine archaeological records using modern technology.
An inscription that went unnoticed for decades has now revealed the identity of an animal that lived about 3,500 years ago.
For researchers it’s a rare window into personal relationships and beliefs of ancient Egyptians: how even the names of their dogs could be preserved for eternity.
Sources : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03075133261487455