Tesem

Tesem (, tjezem; 30px) was the ancient Egyptian name for "hunting dog". In popular literature it denotes the prick-eared, leggy dog with a curled tail from the early Egyptian age, but it was also used with reference to the lop-eared "Saluki/Sloughi" type. It was one of several types of dogs in Ancient Egypt; particularly the latter Saluki/Sloughi type of Tesem, having the appearance most similar to that of a true sighthound.

==History== thumb|left|Examples of three different types of dogs shown on Egyptian monuments Three main types of dogs are shown in Ancient Egypt, these being the pariah dog, the greyhound-like dog and a mastiff-type dog. It is assumed that there were two types of greyhound-like breeds, these being the older Tesem and the Saluki/Sloughi type. The two greyhound-types were clearly distinguished in tomb decorations, with the Tesem thought to be similar to modern pariah dogs. One scholar applies the name Tesem to both types of greyhound-like dogs.