Figure

Jackals endangered the repose of the dead in Egypt, as they infested cemeteries and ate the offerings laid down at the graves, sometimes even devouring the corpses. To avert this menace, the Egyptians elevated this wild beast to the status of a god and worshipped it as Anubis, the god of the necropolis. It was responsible for the ritual preparation of the corpse, i.e. embalming. Afterwards, Anubis accompanied the deceased to the Last Judgment and supervised the weighing of the heart, guiding the dead into the hereafter. The wooden figure shows Anubis as a recumbent jackal with elongated limbs. The ears are erect, alert. The typically dark patina has been decidedly rubbed down. This jackal was most probably placed on the lid of a wooden sarcophagus to guard the deceased.