The Mastaba of Hemaka

Scholars divide ancient Egyptian history into dynasties—a span of time where a single royal family ruled the land. Much debate surrounds the when and the who of the first dynasty, but King Narmer, the legendary leader credited with unifying upper and lower Egypt into a single country, is usually recognized as the first king. According to The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, the first dynasty began c. 3200-3000 BCE.

The kings [or pharaohs] who followed ruled by divine right, for the citizens believed that their leaders were "junior" gods. The divine authority of these leaders was, however, insufficient alone to run the government, so they employed officials to help administer their wishes. Hemaka was one such official, running the royal treasury during the reign of Den, a pharaoh of the First Dynasty. When Hemaka died, he was buried in an impressive tomb—one, in fact, that rivaled in size that of a king.

Hemaka's tomb contained several gaming discs which, scholars suggest, are meant to be used as spinning tops after a stick has been inserted in the center. One disc depicts a hunting scene. Notice that the dogs on this disc meet the breed criteria for basenjis; they have the thin build, long legs, erect ears, and curly tails that modern basenjis share.

According to Egyptian Treasures from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, "The artist was not attempting to portray two contemporaneous scenes, but rather two successive moments in the hunting of the gazelle by the dog. The dog initially tracks its prey and then attacks head-on, biting at its neck."

This analysis is, of course, open to debate. No hieroglyphic markings indicate that only one dog is involved. And if it is one dog, then why is the animal in two different colors? In many examples of ancient Egyptian art, such as the tomb carvings of Ptahhotep or Ukhhotep, packs of dogs are depicted hunting together in the desert, which might be the case here.