Abuwtiyuw

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Abuwtiyuw in hieroglyphs
abwtywE14

ꜥbwtjw
Name and transliteration following Reisner

The Egyptian dog Abuwtiyuw,[1] also transcribed as Abutiu (died before 2280 BC),[2] was one of the earliest documented domestic animals whose name is known. He is believed to have been a royal guard dog who lived in the Sixth Dynasty (2345–2181 BC), and received an elaborate ceremonial burial in the Giza Necropolis at the behest of a pharaoh whose name is unknown.

An inscribed stone listing the gifts donated by the pharaoh for Abuwtiyuw's funeral was discovered by Egyptologist George A. Reisner in October 1935. It was apparently part of the spoil material incorporated into the structure of a Sixth Dynasty mastaba (pharaonic-era tomb) after the demolition of the funerary chapel belonging to Abuwtiyuw's owner, where the stone likely had originally been installed. The white limestone tablet measures 54.2 × 28.2 × 23.2 cm (21.3 × 11.1 × 9.1 in). The inscription is composed of ten vertical rows of hieroglyphs, separated by vertical lines.

Abuwtiyuw appears to have been a

Pyramid of Khufu
/Kheops).

Background

Statue of Anubis, dated to the mid 7th to mid 4th century BC

Rhoda in Upper Egypt,[9] Thebes, Abydos, and near Maghagha.[7]

The ancient Egyptians mummified many animal species, from cats and

deity associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion.[13]

Discovery

The only source from which Abuwtiyuw is known is a stone inscription tablet that may have come from the funerary chapel of the dog's owner.

Boston Museum of Fine Arts expedition, and removed from the site four days later.[15][16][17][18]

The find was recorded by the main expedition photographer, Mohammedani Ibrahim, who took more than 9,321 large-format glass-plate images on Reisner's expeditions.[19][20] The tablet is now held by the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (inventory number JE 67573).[21]

Neither the dog's grave nor mummy have been recovered.[22] The tomb in which the tablet was unearthed is in Cemetery G 2100 in Giza West Field, close to the western side of the Great Pyramid of Giza (Pyramid of Khufu/Kheops).[23][24] The white limestone tablet measures 54.2 × 28.2 × 23.2 cm (21.3 × 11.1 × 9.1 in) and is inscribed with ten vertical rows of hieroglyphs, separated from each other by vertical lines. Part of a leash is visible on the upper-right corner, suggesting that the tablet displayed an image of Abuwtiyuw with his owner.[22] Abuwtiyuw appears to have been a sighthound, a lightly built hunting dog similar to a greyhound, with erect ears and a curly tail.[25]

The text of the inscription translated by Reisner describes the gifts offered by the pharaoh in tribute at Abuwtiyuw's funeral:[26]

"The dog which was the guard of His Majesty, Abuwtiyuw is his name. His Majesty ordered that he be buried (ceremonially), that he be given a coffin from the royal treasury, fine linen in great quantity, (and) incense. His Majesty (also) gave perfumed ointment, and (ordered) that a tomb be built for him by the gangs of masons. His Majesty did this for him in order that he (the dog) might be Honoured (before the great god, Anubis)."[26]

Interpretation

Image of a Tesem dog from the grave of Intef II, c. 2065 BC

Although it was common to bury dogs in ancient Egypt, the funeral of Abuwtiyuw was unusually elaborate, an honour normally reserved for upper-class humans.

Ka (Egyptian soul) of the dead would enter into its afterlife through the ceremonial burial.[25]

Although no images of Abuwtiyuw have been found, the text characterizes him as

onomatopoeic representation of a dog's bark, as this component often is found in Ancient Egyptian dog names.[25] Edward C. Martin Jr. claims that the name means 'With Pointed Ears', which would fit the description of the Tesem.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Reisner 1936, p. 96.
  2. ^ a b c Martin 1997, p. 104.
  3. ^ Cavendish 2010, p. 138.
  4. ^ a b Hastings 2001, p. 512.
  5. ^ Teeter 2011, p. 8.
  6. ^ Hinkler 2006, p. 33.
  7. ^ a b Morey 2010, p. 182.
  8. ^ Spence 2008, p. 23.
  9. ^ Gardner Wilkinson 1837, p. 33.
  10. ^ Velde & Dijk 1997, p. 56.
  11. ^ Detweiler 2004, p. 170.
  12. ^ Lucas 2003, p. 349.
  13. ^ a b Ikram 2005, p. 24.
  14. ^ Reisner 1936, pp. 97–98.
  15. ^ Hayes 1990, p. 65.
  16. ^ Zahradnik 2009, p. 207.
  17. ^ G2188 Y.
  18. ^ G2188.
  19. ^ Photos: Abutiu.
  20. ^ Ragovin 2007.
  21. ^ "Ancient History Basics". Telemachus Ancient History Mentor Program, Department of Ancient History, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  22. ^ a b Reisner 1936, pp. 96–97.
  23. ^ Miller 2012, p. 154.
  24. ^ Leach 1961, p. 283.
  25. ^ a b c d Reisner 1936, p. 99.
  26. ^ a b Reisner 1936, p. 97.

References

External links

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