text: abuwtiyuw the egyptian dog abuwtiyuw , ( ipa : ʔ - - ) also transcribed as ( died before 2280 bc ) , 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 sighthound , a lightly built hunting dog similar to a greyhound , with erect ears and a curly tail . the tomb in which his tablet was discovered is in cemetery g 2100 in giza west field , close to the western side of the great pyramid of giza ( pyramid of khufu / kheops ) . background herodotus documents that in ancient persia dogs were protected animals , held in the highest esteem during their lifetime . according to the ancient greeks , dogs in ancient egypt were treated with the same respect as they were in persia , and were commonly mummified after death before being buried in family tombs . the ancient egyptians and others of the near east believed that dogs were spiritual beings , similar to humans , and they were " often associated with particular deities and the powers they wield " . a number of the early dynastic royal burial grounds contain the graves of dogs , along with women and servants of the royal household . ashkelon cemetery in the south district of israel is perhaps the best - documented dog cemetery in the ancient world , but dog mummies have been unearthed en masse in sites across egypt including rhoda in upper egypt , thebes , abydos , and near . the ancient egyptians mummified many animal species , from cats and gazelles to crocodiles , baboons , and birds . typically , many animal species were consumed as meat after death , but it is highly unlikely that dogs would have been eaten . radiographs of exhumed dogs in the ancient world have revealed that the mummification process involved wrapping the embalmed bones together with bandages and placing them within a wooden statue of anubis , the jackal - headed deity associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient egyptian religion . 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 . the tablet was apparently among spolia used to build another grave in approximately 2280 bc , a sixth - dynasty mastaba , after the chapel 's demolition . it was discovered on 13 october 1935 by egyptologist george a. reisner during a joint harvard university - boston museum of fine arts expedition , and removed from the site four days later . the find was recorded by the main expedition photographer , ibrahim , who took more than 9 , 321 large - format glass - plate images on reisner 's expeditions . the tablet is now held by the egyptian museum in cairo ( inventory number je ) . neither the dog 's grave nor mummy have been recovered . 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 ) . 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 . the text of the inscription translated by reisner describes the gifts offered by the pharaoh in tribute at abuwtiyuw 's funeral : 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 ) . interpretation 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 . the pharaoh 's gifts suggest that the corpse was mummified , as was commonly done with humans at the time , in the belief that the ka of the dead would enter into its afterlife through the ceremonial burial . although no images of abuwtiyuw have been found , the text characterizes him as ( tesem ) , a lightly built hunting dog similar to a greyhound , with erect ears and a curly tail . the tesem dog features in predynastic depictions , making it one of the oldest known breeds of dog , and images of it are common throughout ancient egyptian history . according to reisner , the name " abuwtiyuw " is not fully translatable , but he surmised that ( " bu " ) is an onomatopoeic representation of a dog 's bark , as this component often is found in ancient egyptian dog names . edward c. martin jr. claims that the name , or its variant transliteration of , means " with pointed ears " , which would fit the description of the tesem .