The Mammals of Ancient Egypt

About this book

Various attempts have been made to systematise the mammals depicted in Egyptian tomb paintings, inscriptions, carvings, figurines and other objects, and as mummies, but there are many discrepancies, variable spellings and names, including now obsolete Latin names, and misidentifications. The Egyptian artists themselves sometimes used the wrong hieroglyph or drew some parts of animals incorrectly. Dale Osborn's comprehensive reassessment, presented here in a facsimile reissue, catalogues around 100 separate species, ranging from hedgehogs to hippopotami, Anubis Baboons to Zebu cattle, that can be identified in Egyptian art from prehistoric, through Pre-Dynastic to Late Kingdom times. Profusely illustrated, the catalogue is arranged by Order, then species, each entry providing the relevant hieroglyph, a brief description of the animal, its natural habitat and distribution, and a narrative on its depiction in Egyptian art through time, by location, types of illustration or object, and context (tomb etc). Known errors and discrepancies, either in original scripts or classical and/or modern literature, are listed.

Mammals are abundantly depicted in tomb paintings and inscriptions. Common scenes include hunts, processions, wild animals being led on chains, domesticated animals in household and working environments, and satirical scenes. Such scenes provide many insights into the lives of Egyptians and their relationships with animals, which are further enhanced by many decorative figurines and statues and, often poignantly, by the mummies of mostly small animals, including cats and dogs.

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Map

1. Introduction
2. Insectivores
3. Bats
4. Primates
5. Lagomorphs
6. Rodents
7. Carnivores
8. Aardvark
9. Pangolins
10. Elephants
11. Hyraxes
12. Odd-toed ungulates
13. Even-toed ungulates
14. Dolphins

Summary
Chronological
Abbreviations & bibliography
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Dale J. Osborn was a zoologist who taught variously in Turkey, Anatolia, Greece and Canada before undertaking research in Egypt as a field associate of the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, which led to several books on the mammals of modern, then Ancient Egypt. Following a decade as Curator at Chicago Zoological Park, he moved to Prague, after marrying Czech botanist Jana Kosinova, where he died in 2004.

Now retired, at the time of the original publication, Jana Osbornová was a lecturer in botany and a researcher in Egyptian vegetation in the Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague.