In popular literature it denotes the prick-eared, leggy dog with a curled tail from the early Egyptian age, but it was also used with reference to the lop-eared "Saluki/Sloughi" type.

[4] The two greyhound-types were clearly distinguished in tomb decorations,[5] with the Tesem thought to be similar to modern pariah dogs.

[12] The Pharaoh Hound of Malta and the Cirneco dell'Etna of Sicily were both popularly and controversially thought to be possible descendants of the Tesem.

Ancient Egyptians gave the name Tesem to the early curly-tailed dogs that resembled a sighthound.

[15] These dogs were featured on monuments[15] and in wall paintings that showed their lean body with noticeable prick ears.