The ancient Egyptians were famous for their interest in cat-related objects, and they did not shy away from making cat-themed objects, from sculptures larger than natural to intricate jewels, dating back thousands of years to the time when the Pharaohs ruled the Nile. Is.
The ancient Egyptians embalmed countless cats and even created the first known pet cemetery. A cemetery about two thousand years old that contains cats with iron collars and beads!
But why were cats so valuable in ancient Egypt? According to the Greek historian Herodotus, why did the Egyptians shave their eyebrows in mourning to mourn the loss of their family cat?
According to an exhibition held in 2018 at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC, on the importance of cats in ancient Egypt, we know that much of this respect is due to The ancient Egyptians thought that their gods and rulers had cat-like characteristics. Especially since cats had two types of temperament - on the one hand they can be protective and loyal and on the other hand they can look stubborn, independent and violent.
For the ancient Egyptians, these characteristics made cats seem special and worthy of attention. This may explain why the Egyptians made cat-like statues. The Great Sphinx of Giza, a seventy-three meter long building with a human-shaped face and a lion-shaped body, is probably the most famous example of such a building and sculpture.
Also, the powerful goddess "Sekhmet" is depicted with a series of lions on a woman's body. He was known as a protective deity, especially during the transition moments, including sunrise and sunset. Another goddess, Bastet, was often depicted as a lion or a cat, and the ancient Egyptians believed that cats were sacred to her.
According to research from the University of College London, another reason for cats' interest was probably their ability to hunt mice and snakes. The ancient Egyptians admired these animals so much that they named their children after these felines. One of these letters is Mitt (meaning cat) for girls. It is not known exactly when the domestic cats originated in Egypt, but according to a report from LiveScience, archaeologists have found burials belonging to cats and kittens dating to 3,800 BC.
However, much research shows that this great interest was not always out of kindness or fascination, and there is evidence that the ancient Egyptians made malicious desires in the face of cats. Probably between 700 BC and 300 AD, there were industries devoted entirely to raising millions of kittens to bury them next to people after killing and embalming them.
In a study published last year in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers performed a city scan on mummified animals, including a cat. This research allowed researchers to have a detailed look at the skeletal structure of this animal and the materials used in its embalming process.
After reviewing the results, it was found that this animal is much smaller than previously thought. One of the authors of the study, Richard Johnston, a professor at Swansea University in the UK, said: "We saw it on the screen, we realized that this cat was very young at the time of its death." He was less than five months old when his neck was intentionally broken.
"Sacrificing cats is not uncommon," adds Johnston. Cats were often bred for this purpose. "It was purely industrial, and there was even some land for cats to sell."
Mary Wagner, a professor of Egyptian archeology at the University of Toronto, said: . »
Unfortunately, it is not clear exactly why the ancient Egyptians enjoyed buying cats and burying them, but there seems to have been a fine line between sanctity and fascination.
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