Page 18 - The Sloughi Review - Issue 2 - Final Copy

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T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W
Animal Graves
A little after the discovery of Maherpra’s
grave, the excavations financed by retired,
wealthy American lawyer T. Davis, brought
the discovery in 1906, of 3 animal graves
numbered KV 50, KV 51 and KV 52.
Together these graves contained 1 dog, 6
monkeys, 3 ducks and 1 Ibis. Because these
tombs were found close to that of
Amenhotep II, they were considered to
contain this pharaoh’s favorite animals.
It was KV50 that contained the dog’s
mummy, and T. Davis’ story, when he
entered the grave, does not lack in flavor:
“I entered a low room where the heat was
unbearable. What was my surprise to see,
near me, a yellow dog, of normal size,
standing, his tail rolled on its back and his
eyes wide open.
Sighthound and monkey mummies, in situ. Illustration by E. Harold Jones in Davis, 1908
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Very close to him, a monkey, perfectly
preserved, was sitting on its behind. I
thought for a moment that they were alive,
one and the other, before understanding
that they had been mummified and stripped
of their cloth ribbons by thieves.
It is clear that they had seated the monkey,
quite straight, on a piece of wood taken
from his coffin, and had then straighten the
dog so close to the monkey that it was
almost touching it with its nose. In this
manner, the monkey seemed to say “I am
done with”, and the dog to answer “Courage,
everything will be alright!” I am sure that
the thieves had fun imagining this scene. Be
that as it may, this joke goes back 3000
years.”
The mummies of this dog and the monkey
are now kept at the Cairo Museum.