Page 71 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW - ISSUE 13

T H E S L O U G H I R E V I E W 7 1

-Hunting scene of Tutankhamun, pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (new Kingdom) , who ruled
from about 1332 to 1323 B.C.

In Tutankhamun’s work we see for the first time a hound in the open field, accompanying
a hunter with a light and agile chariot with horses. Ostriches are being hunted, the
depiction is decorated with the base of a fan on which ostrich feathers were mounted.

Hunting scene of Tutankhamun, first depiction of hunting with an
enduring and fast hound in open terrain, base of a fan for ostrich feathers

The hound depicted has also been found as a three-dimensional figure made of ivory in
Tutankhamun's tomb. The hound figure lacks a tail, but in the depiction on the fan it is
very long, which is a typical characteristic of a fast hound or a sighthound. The lop ears

identify it as a similar type as we see in the dog mummy from tomb KV50.

The length of the tail of the sighthound is still a means of testing the quality of the
sighthound in North Africa. The tail is pulled between the legs to the back; the tip of the
tail must reach the hip bones. During runs, the Sloughi needs the tail to balance when

running in the terrain. It uses the tail like a rudder when changing direction, as can also
be observed in a cheetah. Therefore, it is an essential characteristic of a sighthound to
have a tail of a certain length.