“To mitigate unwelcome guests, he had the secured garden area patrolled by his pharaoh hound, which, apart from being an excellent guard dog, had a peaceful nature and probably explained the lack of forewarning.” — K. G. Maw, KV 66: League of the Sacred Ankh
By its name, the Pharaoh Hound originated in Egypt and is one of the oldest breeds of domesticated dogs recorded in history. With this in mind, it was very fitting to include an opening in my book series for casting such a beautiful animal within its original native environment.
One can readily see why it has been called a Pharaoh Hound, as a dog closely resembling it was often portrayed on ancient Egyptian artifacts. In particular, one dating to almost 4000 BC displayed two such dogs hunting gazelles in the desert, and further art reliefs often showed them as companions to pharaohs and other nobles.
The Pharaoh Hound, eventually with the aid of the Phoenicians, traveled across the Mediterranean and today is now more associated as the traditional breed of Malta where they were used as rabbit hunters! Not surprisingly, rabbit is also Malta’s national dish.
These dogs are highly intelligent and can quickly memorize commands after only 15-25 repetitions. They are slender and graceful, with glossy short coats, and have bright, amber-colored eyes. Unlike most dogs, the Pharaoh hound can blush with excitement and has a characteristic high-pitched shrill bark.
Irrespective of this, they are not the best guard dogs and have a kind and loving demeanor.
It is not surprising that the ancient Egyptian god Annubis also resembles the pharaoh hound. Closely associated with mummification, Annubis would often be labeled as “he who is in the place of embalming.”
Annubis also became known as the protector of tombs and, towards the end of the pharaonic era, the guide of souls and weigher of hearts, as depicted in the book of the dead. In this role, Annubis would physically weigh the deceased’s heart to determine whether or not that person was worthy to enter the realm of the dead.
In League of the Sacred Ankh and, more recently, in my latest book The Lazarus Project, the Pharaoh Hound takes on a role as a guard dog… but in this instance, a worthy adversary!