Ancient Egyptian Dog Name“Duaty” Found In 3,500-Year-Old Tomb Painting

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The previously unknown name of an ancient Egyptian dog, depicted in a 3,500-year-old tomb painting, has been identified by a researcher. The name, Duaty, marks the first instance of a dog's name including an epithet of the canine-headed god Anubis, prompting new questions about the role of dogs in ancient Egyptian society.

Chelsea Kaufman, an archaeologist from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, told The Art Newspaper,“The name is entirely unique among the known corpus of dog names from Egypt. We only know about 100 dog names from Egypt, several of which are duplicates, but Duaty is entirely new.”

The tomb, situated in a necropolis in Luxor, 500km south of Cairo, had been examined by Egyptologists before. However, Duaty's name could not be deciphered until modern digital imaging software was used. Ancient artisans painted three dogs in the tomb of a noble named User, each wearing a collar and sitting upright beneath User's chair. Two of these dogs were already known as Kenii, meaning“Strong One,” and Maaty, meaning“Trusty.” The third dog's name remained a mystery.

Kaufman observed a faint painted inscription above the third dog's head while re-examining photographs of the tomb scene. She then utilized digital imaging software to enhance the blue pigment of these faded hieroglyphs, which allowed the name to be read more clearly. Her investigation, published in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, revealed the dog's name as Duaty, which translates to“He-of-the-Underworld.” This phrase is typically an epithet for Anubis, the god associated with the dead and funerary rituals.

“The significance of the name remains an open question,” Kaufman stated.“It's tempting to interpret it as a direct reference to Anubis, but we just can't be certain this was the intention. It is worth considering that the name alludes to the dog having already died by the time the tomb was painted, but of course this remains speculation.” Nonetheless, the dog's presence and name in the painting ensured his survival after death, allowing him to partake in the food and drink offerings made to the dead in the tomb.

Duaty also stands out from other dogs in the tomb and in all other Egyptian art due to his distinctive red and rippled coat pattern, which bears an intriguing resemblance to the clothing worn by User above him in the painting.

Speaking to The Art Newspaper, Egyptologist Salima Ikram, who was not involved in the study, commented on the finding:“Pets, particularly dogs, are often shown in Egyptian tomb paintings. Dogs are frequently named, unlike cats, which are called the male cat or the female cat. On the whole, pets are shown as a record of actual companion animals of the deceased, but they might have alluded to the gods as well, such as Anubis, Re, Bastet, and Hathor, with only Anubis being evoked by canines.” Kaufman expressed her profound satisfaction with the discovery, noting,“As far as I know, I am the first person in 3,500 years to read Duaty's name. We spend so much time studying the people of ancient Egypt, but as someone who is passionate about dogs, it is an honour to give Duaty some of his identity back as well.”

Source: The Art Newspaper

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