Tesem  Information & Dog Breed Facts

The Tesem, also known as the Tzm, is considered to be an ancient Egyptian collective name for hunting types of dogs, rather than for a distinct breed. The Tesem finds its origins in Egypt, presumably from before 3000 BC., because archaeologists have found hieroglyphics of the Tesem from that time period. The dogs were bred and used for guarding, and hunting purposes, but people often used the dogs as companions too. The Tesem was highly valued by the Egyptians, that is the reason why these dogs were often mummified and buried with their owners when they died. Ancient Egyptians believed that these dogs represented the jack-headed god of death, Anubis from Egyptian mythology, thus people honored Anubis by burying the dogs when their masters died so that the dogs could watch out for and protect their owners in the afterlife too.

The Tesem’s exterior appearance resembles today’s Sloughi and another scent-hound type of dog. Three main types of dogs can be distinguished in Ancient Egypt, including the Molosser-type, the Greyhound-type, and finally the Pariah dog. Presumably, two types of greyhound breeds were cross-bred with the Pariah dog creating the Tesem naturally. Yet, according to other experts, the Tesem more likely to be similar to the modern-day’s Pariah dog. Due to the lack of records, and documentation, no one can be sure about Tesem’s true ancestry. Archaeological findings suggest that the Tesem’s origins are lying in the further South than Egypt, from Nubia and also form the Land of Punt, whose location is unclear, but considered to be the South-East of Egypt on the Horn of Africa.

The Tesem breed was depicted on monuments, on wall decorations showing the dogs’ lean bodies, with their noticeable prickly ears. The breed is thought to have a greyish, yellowish coat, with a broad prominent forehead and long legs. Drawings of a Tesem appeared in Nagada, dating back from the Protodynastic Period of Egypt, from between 3200 BC. to 3000 BC. One of the earliest known records of the Tesem is the Khufu dog, from the tomb of King Khufu, who reigned from 2609 to 2584 BC. His dog’s name was Akbaru, he was portrayed wearing a collar in the tomb’s wall decorations. The Tesem continued to appear during the Middle Kingdom period between 2055 and 1650 BC.

Shortly after that, the Tesem population’s numbers started to decline, due to the fact, that people started to prefer Sloughi and Saluki types of dogs more. Also, around that time period, the Tesem was exported on ships from other parts of the Mediterranean to Malta and to Italy. Both the Cirneco dell’Etna of Sicily and the Pharaoh Hound of Malta are thought to be possible descendants of the Tesem. Due to the lack of their use, and the declined popularity, slowly, but surely the Tesem went to extinction at the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt from 1550 to 1069 BC. Meanwhile, this dog is long gone now, the Tesem influenced many other breeds throughout the years. The Africanis and the Basenji are both presumed to be descendants of the Tesem. Although, some still believe that the Tesem is simply known under a different name nowadays and that it still lives in North Africa.