Cats in ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, cats were very important and respected animals. They appeared in pictures and stories as early as 1980 BC and were linked to several gods and goddesses. Deities like Mafdet, Bastet, and Sekhmet had cat-like heads and stood for ideas such as justice, fertility, and power. Another goddess, Mut, was also shown as a cat or with cats nearby.

People in ancient Egypt liked cats because they kept away harmful creatures like venomous snakes, rodents, and birds that could damage crops. Cats were also seen as protectors of the Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, from very early times, starting in the First Dynasty of Egypt. Evidence from skeletons found with burial goods shows that cats were sometimes treated like important friends even after death, especially around the time of the 12th Dynasty.

The importance of cats grew over time. During the New Kingdom of Egypt, more people kept cats as pets, and they appeared often in art linked to the goddess Bastet. Large areas for burying cats, called cat cemeteries, were found in places like Speos Artemidos, Bubastis, and Saqqara. These sites had many cat mummies and statues, which are now shown in museums around the world. The most common cats buried this way were the African wildcat and the jungle cat. Because so many cat mummies have been found, historians think cats played a big role in the life of ancient Egypt. Some believe cats were raised just to be mummified, which needed a network for trading food, oils, and resins used in the embalming process.

History

Mafdet was the first known cat-shaped goddess in ancient Egypt. She appeared during the First Dynasty. She was thought to protect people from dangerous animals like snakes and scorpions. Another important cat-shaped goddess was Bastet. She first looked like a lion, but later she was shown as a small cat. People in ancient Egypt respected cats because they helped catch pests that could hurt crops.

Over time, cats became sacred animals. When they died, they were often mummified and buried with special care. This showed how much people liked these clever pets. Even today, cats are treated with kindness in Egypt, a tradition that started thousands of years ago.

Expeditions and excavations

In 1799, French researchers went to the city of Lycopolis near Asyut and found mummified cats and other animals. Later, in the 1820s, the Louvre Museum showed beautiful cat statues made from wood, bronze, and pottery from Bubastis.

Many important discoveries happened in the late 1800s. The Egypt Exploration Society helped with digs in Bubastis, where workers found big pits with cat bones, statues, and ornaments. In Beni Hasan, more than 200,000 mummified animals were found, most of them cats. Scientists studied some of these mummies and learned more about how cats were treated in ancient times. Museums all over the world got many of these interesting finds.

Legends

In the 2nd century, a writer named Polyaenus told a story about the Persian king Cambyses II. During the Battle of Pelusium (525 BC), Cambyses II put cats and other animals the Egyptians respected in front of his soldiers. Because the Egyptians valued these animals so much, they stopped fighting. This let the Persians capture the city of Pelusium. The story shows how much the Egyptians respected cats and other animals.