Kynopolis (city of dogs), Egypt
Hadrian 126-127 CE
AE obol 20mm 4.8g
ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ CEB laureate head of Hadrian right
Reverse – KVNO L IA (regnal year 11), Anubis standing, facing head left, holding small dog.
RPC III, 6353; Dattari 6235; Geissen 3405-3406; Kampmann/Ganschow N22.3
Kynopolis was the home of the cult to Anubis, who was shaped like a dog.
Anubis was the god of funerary rites, the protector of graves, and the guide to the underworld. That’s right. I bet you didn’t think your dog could serve as a guide to the underworld, but they’re surprising animals.
According to Claudius Ptolemy, Kynopolis was located on an island in the Nile, though it extended to both sides. Today, El Kays sits on the site. Archeology has revealed, not surprisingly, a cemetery for dogs.
According to Plutarch, Kynopolis and nearby Oxyrhynchos were rivals, and hostilities started then a resident of Kynopolis ate an Oxyrhyncos fish and their residents of Oxyrhynchos responded by attacking dogs. During the reign of Ramses XI, Kynopolis was destroyed by Nubians and all of its residents enslaved.
During Hellenistic times, people came to Kynopolis to pray to Anubis. On the streets were many dogs who begged from the visitors and who were usually rewarded. It must have been an amazing site.