It was found behind the un-walled entrance which led to the ''Store Room''. Now it is located in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE61444).

The most famous of Anubis’ shrines found to date was discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62). Statue of Hermanubis, a hybrid of Anubis and the Greek god Hermes (Vatican Museums) ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) Over time, Hermanubis became related to Herpokrates in the eyes of the Romans - a popular god for alchemists and philosophers during the Renaissance. They decided to combine Hermes as a messenger of the gods with Anubis who guided the dead to meet them. The Greeks created a composite deity called Hermanubis as well. During the Greek period, he was associated with the god Hermes. He was also associated with the god Upuaut (Wepwawet), another deity with canine features.Īnubis was also the patron of lost souls, including orphans. Anubis had a female counterpart named Anput, and a daughter, who was the serpent goddess Kebechet. The god Anubis was usually depicted as a jackal and sometimes as a man, but he was always in black, which was a color connected with desolation and rebirth. The Egyptian god Anubis (a modern rendition inspired by New Kingdom tomb paintings) ( GFDL ) Thus, Anubis could decide the soul’s fate. The scenes of the weighing of the heart ceremony from the Book of the Dead present Anubis - who measured if the person was worthy enough to live an eternal life. This was related to the belief that after death a person meets the gods who put his or her heart on a special scale.

One of his main roles was ''The Guardian of the Scales''. He was independent, sometimes helpful, but sometimes punished humans as well. Mummifying Millions: Operation of the Animal Cult Industry of Ancient EgyptĪnubis was one of the deities that could also work against humans.Cynocephaly and the mythological dog-headed human.Mummifying Millions: The Canine Catacombs and the Animal Cult Industry of Ancient Egypt.This changed during the Middle Kingdom period, but Anubis continued to be one of the most important deities. It seems that during the reign of the first dynasties he was even more significant than Osiris. For example, a shrine and a cemetery of mummified dogs and jackals was discovered at Anubeion, a place located to the east of Saqqara. His name appears in the oldest known mastabas (mud-brick tombs) of the First Dynasty and several shrines to the god have been found. The major centers of his cult were located in Asyut (Lycopolis) and Hardai (Cynopolis). To date, archaeologists have not unearthed any monumental temple dedicated to this god. Anubis was also known as “Imy-ut” ('He Who is in the Place of Embalming') and 'nub-tA-djser' ('lord of the sacred land').Īnubis attending the mummy of the deceased. This name has the same root as a word which means ‘a royal child.’ Moreover, it is also related to the word “inp”, meaning “to decay”. In the ancient Egyptian language, he was called Anpu or Inpu. It is interesting to note however, that the name “Anubis” was unknown before the Greeks arrived in Egypt. This god was first mentioned during the First Dynasty period, but it is possible that future research may show that he was present even before then. He was known since the earliest periods in the history of the civilization that was based near the Nile River. As god of embalming and the dead, the afterlife and lost souls, Anubis is one of the most prominent and mystical gods of ancient Egypt.

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