Swifter than the arrow the golden hunting hounds of ancient Egypt - Rice, Michael (I.B. Tauris, 2006)
Includes bibliographical references and index
Illustrations; Preface: Canines and Ancient Egypt; 1. Wolf to Dog to Hunting Hound; 2. The Beloved Companion; 3. The Hound in the Hunt; 4. Golden Jackals, Egyptian Hounds and the Hounds of the Mediterranean Islands; 5. The Canine Gods of Ancient Egypt; 6. Tail-end; Appendix I: Hieroglyphs Relating to Dogs and Hunting; Appendix II: Dogs Named in the Text; Glossary; Notes; Bibliography; Picture Sources and Acknowledgements; Index
"Swifter than the Arrow" explores a little-known aspect of life in Ancient Egypt, celebrating the Egyptians as the first known civilisation to have formed the special bond with the dog that persists today as the most remarkable and enduring of human-animal relationships. Five thousand years ago the Egyptians selected and bred hounds for the chase and as the loved companions of both the 'Great Ones' - the ruling classes - and of less exalted folk. For more than twenty-five centuries they kept the breed true, a remarkable achievement to be counted alongside the development of stone arches