#infoquotes

Cosmetic palette from the Naqada III period depicting African wild dogs, Louvre

Obviously both the dog and the Lycaon pictus have been used as indication for control over wild animals, mainly desert animals, referring to the maintenance of order over chaos. Both animals are linked to man, which is obvious for the dog, but also for the Lycaon with whom the hunters on the Hunters palette identified themselves (see also Baines 1993: 69). But the dog and the Lycaon can not be regarded as equals. They occur for example both on the Hierakonpolis palette, where they are clearly differentiated, and Baines (1993) clearly showed the symbolic difference between the kinds of animals. 

The theme of order over chaos seems to be present already from at least the late Naqada I period, which is not surprising since the second important power issue, namely military power, also occurs from that moment onwards. Over time there seems to have been an evolution in the iconographic context in which the dog was represented, from a preference for actual hunting scenes to dogs controlling orderly arranged rows of animals. However from the beginning both representations occur next to each other and continue to do so.