Egyptian god
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Also known as: Anpu
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated:Article History
Category: History & Society
- Also called:
- Anpu
Top Questions
Who is Anubis?
Anubis was an ancient Egyptian god of the dead, represented as a jackal or a man with the head of a jackal. Anubis is sometimes also called Anpu.
What was the role of Anubis?
In the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom, Anubis had a preeminent position as lord of the dead. He was associated with the funerary cult and the care of the dead, and his later role was as the “conductor of souls.” He was also reputed to be the inventor of embalming, an art he first employed on the corpse of Osiris.
Which ancient Greek god is Anubis associated with?
In his later role as the “conductor of souls,” the Greco-Roman world sometimes identified Anubis with Hermes in the composite deity Hermanubis.
Anubis, ancient Egyptian god of funerary practices and care of the dead, represented by a jackal or the figure of a man with the head of a jackal. In the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom, he enjoyed a preeminent (though not exclusive) position as lord of the dead, but he was later overshadowed by Osiris. His role is reflected in such epithets as “He Who Is upon His Mountain” (i.e., the necropolis), “Lord of the Sacred Land,” “Foremost of the Westerners,” and “He Who Is in the Place of Embalming.”
His particular concern was with the funerary cult and the care of the dead; hence, he was reputed to be the inventor of embalming, an art he first employed on the corpse of Osiris. In his later role as the “conductor of souls,” he was sometimes identified by the Greco-Roman world with the Greek Hermes in the composite deity Hermanubis.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Brian Duignan.
