Cats in ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, cats were highly valued and respected creatures. They appeared in social and religious scenes as early as 1980 BC and were closely linked to several important gods and goddesses. Deities like Mafdet, Bastet, and Sekhmet were shown with cat-like heads, representing ideas such as justice, fertility, and power. Another goddess, Mut, was also pictured as a cat or with cats nearby.

People in ancient Egypt admired cats for their ability to keep 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, beginning in the First Dynasty of Egypt. Evidence from skeletons found with burial goods shows that cats were sometimes treated like important companions 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 connected to the goddess Bastet. Big areas for burying cats, called cat cemeteries, were found in places like Speos Artemidos, Bubastis, and Saqqara. These sites contained many cat mummies and statues, which are now displayed 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 discovered, historians believe cats played a big role in the economy of ancient Egypt. Some think cats were raised specifically 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-headed deity in ancient Egypt, appearing during the First Dynasty. She was seen as a protector against dangerous animals like snakes and scorpions. Another important cat-shaped deity was Bastet, who first appeared with a lion head but later was shown as a small cat. People in ancient Egypt respected cats because they helped by catching pests that could damage crops.

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

Expeditions and excavations

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

Many important discoveries were made in the late 1800s. The Egypt Exploration Society supported digs in Bubastis, where workers found huge pits filled with cat bones, along with statues and ornaments. In Beni Hasan, over 200,000 mummified animals were uncovered, most of them cats. Scientists studied some of these mummies and learned more about how cats were treated in ancient times. Museums around the world received many of these fascinating finds.

Legends

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