| A drawing of two Tesems | |||||||
| Other names | tsm | ||||||
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| Country of origin | Egypt / Nubia / Punt | ||||||
| Patronage | Egypt | ||||||
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| Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | |||||||
Tesem ( = tsm) was the Ancient Egyptian name for "hunting dog". In popular literature it denotes the prick-eared, leggy dog with a curled tail from the early Egyptian age, but it was also used with reference to the lop-eared "saluki/sloughi" type [1]; it was one of several types of dogs in Ancient Egypt, particularly the latter type had an appearance most similar to that of a greyhound.
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Three main types of dogs are shown in Ancient Egypt, these being the pariah dog, the greyhound and the molosser[1]. It is assumed that there were two types of greyhound-like breeds, these being the older Tesem [2] and the saluki/sloughi type [3]. The prick-eared Tesem's origins are presumed to be from further south than Egypt, from Nubia and also the Land of Punt,[2] whose location is unclear but thought to be to the south east of Egypt on the Horn of Africa.[3]
A drawing of a Tesem type dog appears in Nagada, dated from the Protodynastic Period of Egypt (dated 3200 BC to 3000 BC). The dogs were drawn with upright ears and a tightly curled tail.[4] One of the earliest known recordings of these dogs is the "Khufu dog" from the tomb of King Khufu,[5] who reigned between 2609–2584 BC.[6] This dog was named Akbaru, and was depicted wearing a collar.[5]
They continued to appear during the Middle Kingdom period (2055 BC and 1650 BC), but by the time of the New Kingdom (1550 BC - 1069 BC), they were replaced by dogs with hanging ears and a straight tail.[4] These dogs were of the saluki/sloughi type.[7]
The Pharaoh Hound of Malta and the Cirneco dell'Etna of Sicily were both popularly and controversially thought to be possible descendants of the Tesem.[8] [9]
Ancient Egyptians gave the name Tesem to the early curly tailed dogs that resembled a sighthound.[10] These dogs were featured on monuments,[10] and in wall paintings that showed their lean body with noticeable prick ears.[2] They had a greyish-yellow coat, with long legs and a broad prominent forehead. Their size exceeded the Pariah dogs of the time. Their structure of their skeleton was closer to the modern terrier than that of the modern greyhound.[11]