For the love of Dog!

Mask of Anubis

New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1292-1189 BC. Now in the Louvre. N 4096

Praise to your ka, Wepwawet of Upper Egypt, Controller of the Two Lands I am a servant of your temple. May you enable me to see in darkness. Create peace for me so that I can recount your power. —-

Asyut Dog

The spectacular “Asyut Dog” is a large limestone statue of what may be a dog, a wolf or a golden jackal – the latter is the most likely. The statue is thought to come from the area surrounding the city of Asyut in Middle Egypt, and more specifically from the vicinity of its sacred animal cemetery.

In ancient Egypt, sculptures of dogs and jackals were indeed significant and had various symbolic meanings. Asyut, located in Upper Egypt, was an important center where such sculptures were found.

Sculptures of dogs and jackals in Asyut and other parts of Egypt were often placed in tombs and funerary contexts, serving as protective guardians and guides for the deceased in the afterlife.

Ptolemaic Period to Roman Period, ca. 100 BC - 100 CE. Now in the Louvre. E 11657