Archaeologist Chelsea Kaufman recovers Duaty’s name from tomb painting

Archaeologist Chelsea Kaufman of Johns Hopkins University in the United States has identified Duaty as the previously unread name of a dog painted in an Egyptian tomb about 3,500 years ago. Kaufman described her finding, published in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, to The Art Newspaper.

The tomb, known as TT21, lies in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the Nile’s west bank opposite Luxor. Its owner, User, was a scribe and steward of King Tuthmosis I during the early Eighteenth Dynasty.

The painting shows 3 collared dogs sitting beneath User’s chair. Egyptologists had already read the names Kenii, meaning “Strong One,” and Maaty, meaning “Trusty.” The remaining dog’s name had resisted reading.

Making the faded writing legible

While re-examining photographs of the scene, Kaufman noticed a faint inscription above the dog’s head. She used digital imaging software to enhance the blue pigment in the faded hieroglyphs—the signs used in ancient Egyptian writing—making the name clearer to read.

Kaufman said about 100 Egyptian dog names are known, including duplicates, and Duaty is entirely new within that collection.

The Art Newspaper also describes Duaty’s red, rippled coat pattern as unique among dogs in Egyptian art and similar to User’s painted clothing.

An association with Anubis, but uncertain intent

Duaty means “He-of-the-Underworld,” usually an epithet, or descriptive title, of Anubis, the canine-headed god associated with the dead and funerary rituals.

Kaufman said a deliberate reference to Anubis is a tempting interpretation, but the intention remains uncertain. She also considers whether the name might indicate that the dog had died before the tomb was painted, while explicitly calling that possibility speculation.

Egyptologist Salima Ikram, who was not involved in the study, said dogs often appear in Egyptian tomb paintings and are frequently named, unlike cats, which are generally labeled as male or female cats. Such paintings usually recorded actual companion animals of the deceased, she said, although the animals could also allude to gods. For canines, she identified Anubis as the deity evoked.

Within Egyptian afterlife beliefs, preserving Duaty’s image and name allowed him to survive death and share the food and drink offered to the dead in the tomb.