bernard Wrote:
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> two questions:
>
> What breeds of dogs did the Egyptians have and
> what were their names? (nice if I could have
> citations for this).

The oldest representation of a dog from a steal of the the Naqada II Period of pre/proto-dynastic Egypt which appears to be that of a greyhound (stela now in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow). Similar styles of greyhound-like or whippet-like dogs are also found in Old Kingdom tombs such as that of Hemaka (1st Dynasty [S3035 in Saqqara]). The Egyptians also appear to have been familiar with the Cape Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus) since predynastic times.

By Middle Kingdom, other breeds appeared on the scene, such as mastiffs and a forms of short-legged dog resembling a dachshund (Houlihan 1996: 77, describing a "low-slung dog with erect ears"; Janssen and Janssen 1989: 9). By New Kingdom, the saluki/slughi appears and seems to have become a royal hunting dog, along with greyhounds, particularly at Amarna (Houlihan 1996: 78).

As for names: I'm assuming you mean personal names for the dogs? The short answer is yes, they are attested, and to a large number (over 77 individual dogs' names are known from texts, according to Janssen and Janssen, as well as Houlihan). If you want a list, let me know, and I'll post some of the names here.

> Is "uher" a word for dog in Egyptian?

No. The usual name for a dog is /iw/ or /iwiw/, which is what you probably have confused with 'uher.' This word, like the word for 'cat,' /miw/, is onomatopoeic, reproducing the "howl/bark" of a dog (Janssen and Janssen 1989: 9).

Other terms for "dog" include /bHn/ and /isA/ (Hannig 2000: 651a-b).

Reference:

Hannig, R. 2000. Die Sprache der Pharaonen: Großes Handwörterbuch Deutsch-Ägyptisch (2800 - 950 v. Chr.). Kulturegeschichte der Antiken Welt 86. Mainz: von Zabern.

Houlihan, P. 1996. The Animal World of the Pharaohs. London: Thames and Hudson.

Janssen, R. and J. Janssen 1989. Egyptian Household Animals. Shire Egyptology. B. Adams. Aylesbury: Shire Publications.

Also of interest:

Baines, J. 1993. Symbolic Roles of Canine Figures on Early Monuments. Archéo-Nil 3 (Mai 1993): 57-74.

Bianchi, A. 1984. Los Cánidos en el Mito y la Religión Egipcias. Aegyptus Antiqua (Buenos Aires) 5: 1-5 (English version on p. 4-5).

Boessneck, J. 1975. Ein altägyptisches Hundeskelett aus der 11. Dynastie. MDAIK 31: 7-13.

Bonnet, C., L. Chaix, P. Lenoble, et al. 1989. Sépultures à chiens sacrifiés dans la vallée du Nil. CRIPEL 11: 25-39.

Brewer, D. E., D. B. Redford, et al. 1994. Domestic Plants and Animals: The Egyptian Origins. Warminster: Aris and Philips.

DuQuesne, T. 1996. Black and Gold God: Colour Symbolism of the God Anubis, with Observation on the Phenomenology of Colour in Egyptian and Comparative Religion. Oxfordshire Communications in Egyptology V. London: Da'th Scholarly Services/Darengo Publications.

___________. 1995. Openers of the Paths: canid psychopomps in ancient Egypt and India. Journal of Ancient Civilizations (Changchun) 10: 41-53.

Handoussa, T. 1986. Le chien d'agrément en Ancienne Egypte. Göttinger Miszellen 89: 23-41.

Lopez, A. 1995. Le Lycaon (Lycaon pictus: Mammifères: Canidae) dans l'Ancienne Égypte, Nilus. Butlletí de la Societat Catalana d'Egiptologia (Barcelona) 4: 10-14.

Tooley, A.M.J. 1988. Coffin of a Dog from Beni Hasan. JEA 74: 207-211. (Summary: A small coffin in the Fitzwilliam Museum E.47.1902, discovered by Garstang at Beni Hasan, bears the /Htp-di-nsw/ (royal offering) formula for its owner, called /Hb/. The coffin had held the body of an animal identified by Garstang as a jackal, but which was more probably that of a dog. The coffin and name are of late XIth Dynasty date and the name /Hb/ is otherwise unattested for a dog.)

HTH.

Katherine Griffis-Greenberg

Doctoral Candidate
Oriental Institute
Doctoral Programme in Oriental Studies [Egyptology]
Oxford University
Oxford, United Kingdom