The Suckling and Lactating Female Mother Dogs Scenes in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

The daily life scenes in Ancient Egypt and its depiction in the temples and tombs is a reflection of the early Egyptian’s life style. The Ancient Egyptians domesticated animals for some varied purposes; including food offerings, sustenance and also labor. The dog in particular was illustrated in different positions and accompanied by various individuals, they were also the earliest animals to be known and illustrated in the scenes since the Predynastic period. The feeding development of female mother dogs to their young in Egyptian art and the progressive stages of suckling, and lactating in the female dog scenes are limited. The main purpose of this article is to reveal the scenes of two main maternal behaviors in the female mother dogs; the Suckling scenes by which the drawing of milk into the mouth of the newborn dog in order to be nourished; the only behavior that is common among mammals, and the Lactating scenes of the mother dog with prominent teats – an obvious indication that the female dog has been pregnant, while the young puppies are absent, as a transition to the weaning process.