letsgostealthelouvre: Up until now, the dog in the top image is what we’ve been seeing in the
letsgostealthelouvre: Up until now, the dog in the top image is what we’ve been seeing in the Louvre’s collection – thick muzzle and body, barrel chest, solid legs. The dog in the bottom image is more what we think of when we think of Egyptian dog motifs – extremely slim, long delicate legs, a narrow upturned muzzle. I’d need to be an actual scholar to note when the change took place, since sculpture isn’t the only place we see dogs in ancient Egyptian culture and I haven’t been paying a ton of attention to the paintings and papyri that might depict dogs. But I have a theory that the change in body shape had a lot to do with a change in Egyptian agriculture right around three thousand years ago – both body types are good for hunting, but one is obviously built for strength and one for speed. You see dogs with the second form build much more often in sporting hunting (bird shooting, small game, etc) and I suspect particularly among the aristocracy sport hunting was much more the thing at a certain point in the history of Egypt. Either way, fascinating to watch the breeds transition in front of our eyes. [Description: Two images of small sculptures of dogs; the first looks like a sort of pit bull mix, with a wedge-shaped head, broad chest, thick legs, sitting at attention. The second is a more stylized sculpture of a dog that resembles a whippet, with extremely thin limbs and body, an elongated muzzle, and a hint of an “apple head” atop a long neck.] -- source link