Combining archaeological and environmental evidence with iconographic analysis, this study examines the place of the dog in pre-Pharaonic Egypt. After a discussion of the types of fox, jackal and hyena that would have inhabited Palaeolithic and prehistoric Egypt, Gransard-Desmond discusses the domestication of the dog, the development of different types, the history of the relationship between man and dog, the different uses made of dogs and their role in religion. In addition to seals, decorated tablets, figurines and paintings, the inclusion of dog figures in burial assemblages hints at their special place in early Egyptian society. Includes a catalogue of objects and sites. French text.