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Washington, United States
loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

she of the town, and useless

Egyptians seem to have had a sense of humor when it came to naming their dogs.
In recent decades archaeologists have translated the names of almost eighty
ancient Egyptian dogs, many of them prized for their hunting or working talents,
as indicated by names like Good Herdsman and Reliable. Other names
reflected their appearance, such as Blackie, Ebony, or One Who Is Fashioned as
an Arrow. Some were given numerical designations, such as The Fourth or
The Sixth (similar to the ancient Roman names Quintus and Sextus), possibly
describing their position in the litter. Grabber, Cook-pot, She of the
Town, Useless, and other unusual names were likely inspired by the quirky nature
of an individual animal, and expressed their master's humor or affection.
These names often were prefaced or followed by abu or jwjw --
ancient versions of "bow-wow" and "howler."

Mary Elizabeth Thurston once more in The Lost History of the Canine Race, p. 29.

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