Donkeys

The donkey was first domesticated in the Prehistoric or Early Dynastic Period (c.3000-2686 Bc) and some of its earliest representations appear on slate palettes from this time. By the Old Kingdom donkeys are frequently shown in tomb reliefs as beasts of burden. They are easy to look after, can survive on little water and poor-quality forage, and are long-lived and self-replicating. They are capable of transporting large loads and are shown carrying corn sheaves, or with net or basket panniers suspended on each side of the their backs. It was the donkey that was used for all long-distance overland transport, traveling the desert routes, carrying not just goods but water for men and animals. Today donkeys are still used for carrying goods over short distances, and they are ridden by their owners, although the ancient Egyptians do not appear to have liked riding them. The introduction of the horse to Egypt, just before the New Kingdom, probably did very little to reduce the importance of donkeys. Scenes from the military campaigns of Ramesses II show the army in camp using donkeys carrying panniers loaded with supplies and equipment, and the donkey remained the main beast of burden, which labored all over the country in the fields and which, quite literally, carried the wealth of the nation on its back. It was not until the introduction of the camel to Egypt that the importance of the donkey greatly diminished. Camels appear in numbers after the Dynastic Period, although camel remains at Qasr Ibrim in Nubia indicate that the odd one was there as early as 1000 BC (Compagnoni and Tosi 1978).