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17 I T is quite usual to find, in books and articles about Ancient Egypt, menti

17 I T is quite usual to find, in books and articles about Ancient Egypt, mentions of different types of spotted skins used in priests’ attire. In many cases, the animal in question is a leopard and in others, a cheetah, which is an even bigger mistake of identification. Perhaps the confusion in naming a specific animal has its origin in a melanic variety of the leopard –frequent in Asia and the jungle– whose common name was the “Black Panther”. A modest research in specialized publi- cations demonstrates that apparently the following fact was not considered: under the name “panther” not only can the leopard be found, but also another feline, the lion. In the second volume of PM1 (Theban Temples), we find entries for leopards and panthers; we must understand that, when speaking about panthers, the reference usually refers to cheetahs. These felines do not belong to pantherae, since they are clearly recognisable, mainly in the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. In this volume, the entry for “cheetah” does not exist, despite its appearance in other volumes. Some authors seem to add to this confusion when explaining the clothing of the sem priest2 and they attribute to a panther what is undoubtedly a leopard skin.3 Panthers, leopards and cheetahs. Notes on identification One of the most extended inaccuracies in the Egyptological publications, consists on attributing the panther exclusive characteristics and features, in the assumption that the “panther” is a specific animal and not a genus. Besides, there is a certain tendency to include in this term another feline, the cheetah, animal that belongs to another completely independent genus. This work tries to analyse both groups of animals, focusing on their differences and placing them in the context of the Ancient Egypt, where they had a particular importance and meaning. Una inexactitud presente en buen número de publicaciones egiptológicas, consiste en atribuir a la pantera características y rasgos exclusivos, en la creencia de que "pantera" es un animal específico y no un género de animales. Además existe cierta tendencia a incluir dentro de este término a otro felino, el guepardo, animal que pertenece a otro género completamente independiente. En este trabajo se pretende analizar a ambos grupos de animales, marcando sus diferencias y encuadrándolos dentro del contexto del Egipto Faraónico, donde gozaron de una particular importancia y significado. TdE 1 (2002) Elisa CASTEL * I would like to express my acknowledgements to: A. Barahona, J. Cervelló, A. Eyma, A. Hernández, M. Jaramago, G.E. Kadish and M. Tilgner. I express my thanks to R. Pujol and F. Jourdan, who translated the Spanish text of this paper into English. At the same time, I would especially thank M. Á. Molinero Polo, whose idea led to the publication of this paper. 1. Porter, B.; Moss, R.L.B.: Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic, Texts, Reliefs and Paintings. 7 vols. Oxford 1934-1991. 2. For instance, Goyon, J-C.: Rituels funéraires de l’an- ciennne Égypte. Paris 1997, 117, 120 (scenes XII, XIX-XXI of the Ceremony of Opening the Mouth). 3. Quirke, S.: Ancient Egyptian Religion. London 1992, 102-103; Hornung, E.: The Valley of the Kings. Horizon of Eternity. New York, 1990, 61; López, J.: Mitología y Religión del Oriente Antiguo. Sabadell 1993, 148. Other scholars have implemented an intermediate solution: the word “feline”.4 But this general word refers to an ample quantity of “big cats”, and does not make the specific classification of the animal clear. All the examples mentioned demonstrate the difficulties found by some Egyptologists in identifying the leopard skin, something perfectly understandable since the Egyp- tological tradition has never, until recent years, approached these questions under a taxonomic point of view. The problem arises when we run into the spotted skin of a cheetah, an animal that does not belong to the same group. TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION In this preliminary research we will attempt to analyse the correct identification of leopards, lions and cheetahs, attempt to define it as clearly as possible and propose a terminology better adapted to reality. We will begin by taxonomically locating these animals, provided their habitat includes the African continent. The felinae5 family, belonging to carnivores, has three groups or subfamilies: Felis or Felinae (cats), Acinonyx or Acinonychinae (cheetahs) and Panthera o Pantherinae (lions and leopards). Within the first group (Felinae) are included those commonly called cats, that is to say, the minor sized felines. Limiting ourselves to the African continent we should mention the domestic cat (Felis catus), the Sahara cat (Felis margarita), the swamp cat (Felis chaus), and, within other subgroups, the African wild cat (Felis [silvestris] libyca), the black paw cat (Felis [Microfelis] nigripes), the Serval (Felis [Leptailurus] serval), the golden cat (Felis [Profelis] aurata) and the Caracal or African Lynx (Felis [Lynx] caracal). The second group (Pantherinae) consists of bigger animals, such as the lion (Panthera Leo) and the leopard (Panthera pardus).6 Finally the third group (Acinonychinae) includes a very specific animal: the cheetah. We cannot take the first group (felinae) as suppliers of skins for priests’ attire, since their height in the cross7 is too small. Regarding the second group (pantherinae), the question is easier. As we have seen, we only have two animals, the leopard and the lion. Identi- fication in both cases would be possible, due to their size (lions have a cross height of 1m and a leopard, about 0,70 cm tall), but the leopard seems to be that which the authors recognise in some paintings and reliefs, because of its spotted skin. Nevertheless, in this article we want to propose the hypothesis that the leopard was not the only animal whose skin was used as priests’ attire, and that many of those skins most likely belong to the third group (Acinonychinae); and therefore as clothing originating from cheetahs or African ounces (Acinonyx jabatus). DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LEOPARDS AND CHEETAHS Both animals do not belong to the same group, since there are substantial differences between them; some are shown in Chart 1. Although their behaviour characteristics are not relevant for iconographic representations, 18 4. Siliotti, A. & Leblanc, Ch.: Nefertari e la Valle delle Regine. Firenze, 1993, 115. 5. All technical data was found in: Grassé, P.P.: Zoo- logía. Vol. 4: Vertebrados. Barcelona, 1980. Dorst, J., & Dandelot, P: Guía de campo de los mamíferos salvajes de África. Barcelona, 1973, 136-148. 6. Are not included here the Snow Panther (Panthera uncia) (Himalaya and Tibet), the Tiger (Panthera trigris), the Puma (Panthera puma) or the Jaguar (Panthera onca) since, although belonging to the same family, they never lived in the Nile Valley. 7. When speaking about animals, the word “cross” refers to the upper part of their back, where the bones of their arms meet the backbone. CHEETAHS · 45 to 60 Kg average weight. Slim constitution. 210 cm long head and back. Tail measuring 75 cm height: 70-80 cm. · Smaller and rounder head than the leopard. quite short and fragile jaws and longer neck. Short vibrisa. · Black nose. · Shorter ears than leopards with a black stripe in the reverse. · Tall and slender legs with less muscular power than leopard. Adapted for running. · Rather blunt nails (except for of front legs thumbnails). Not retractile; this feature serves them to remain firmly stuck to the ground while race hunting. They can reach a speed of 90-120 Km an hour in short distances (200-400 m approx.). · Rough coat long hair in the neck. The spots are in the shape of black dots. They are uniform and well organised over a background, which goes from yellowish brown to pale yellow, almost white. Darker than those of the leopard, they are equally distributed over the body. · In the lower internal parts of the legs, high density of spots, over an almost white coat. · Spots all over the body. · The cheetah has a characteristic dark spot under their eyes in the shape of a teardrop; it goes from the inner angle of the eye to the corner of the mouth. Due to its habit of hunting during the day, these spots protect them against sun. · Long dotted tail; thinner and thicker at the end where these dots form bands or rings. LEOPARDS · Stronger than cheetahs. 50 to 82 Kg of average weight and 150 cm long head and back. Tail measuring 90 cm Cross height: 70 cm. Animal size may vary from small to big depending on its habitat, sabana, desert or jungle. · Powerful head and neck, stronger jaws than cheetahs’. Long vibrissae (sensorial hairs in whiskers of felines). · Rosy nose. · Longer ears than cheetahs’. Ear reverse in black, with a characteristic white spot. · Stronger and shorter legs than cheetahs’. Adapted to jumping with a great muscular power. · Very hard nails, totally retractile, sharp and hook shaped, adapted to retain the prey while hunting. · Soft and thick coat, short hair, spotted with uneven marks in the shape of dark brown or black rosettes, over a pale yellow or pale brownish background. On the uploads/Geographie/ panthers-leopards-and-cheetahs-pdf 1 .pdf