KM 29015: Jackal Painted on Plaster
Terenouthis, Egypt
This painting of a jackal also decorated the interior of the Terenouthis tomb.** The painting probably refers to the god Anubis, who is often represented by the image of a jackal. Anubis was an important god to the Egyptians because they believed that he led the dead safely into the underworld and presented them to the god Osiris, Judge of the Dead. Without Anubis, the dead would never have the opportunity to gain the immortality that Osiris granted, so it was thought that Anubis controlled destiny. His other role was to check the scales of justice in order to ensure fairness, and therefore protect the dead. Because of all these important roles Anubis played, he was often depicted in funerary art, as in this interior painting; jackals also appear on the limestone stele flanking the central female figure. The god Anubis is a good example of the mixed and diverse imagery that we find in tombs in Roman Egypt. Although Anubis was an Egyptian god, he here appears in a grave with Greek and Roman elements as well.
**Please note: this "assemblage" was created solely for educational purposes. While all of the objects discussed here were excavated at the site of Terenouthis, it must be emphasized that they were not found in a single tomb. A full explanation of this class project is found on the introductory page for this website.
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