Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. Even the export of cats was prohibited by law in Ancient Egypt, but they were often smuggled by Phoenician traders to be sold in the Mediterranean countries. Bast was depicted as a young woman with a cat’s head. Cats, however, occupied a special space in Ancient Egypt. Facts about Egyptian Cats 3: Bast. Herodotus wrote that in Ancient Egypt, the pet cat was considered as another member of the family. However, the Egyptian Pharaohs sent their soldiers to recapture their cats. Next time you see a cat, think about its connection to ancient Egypt. Here, in an accidental recovery in 1888, an Egyptian farmer stumbled upon thousands and thousands of cat mummies, buried underneath the desert sands. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Facts about egyptian cats 7: One of the civilization’s figures of worship, bastet, was known as the cat goddess. “I am fascinated by cats,” Amr Mohamed, an 11-year-old boy said. In a battle between Persians and Egyptians, the former captured a large number of cats to use them against the latter. Owing to this, cats came to be regarded as protectors of evil by the ancient Egyptians, and were domesticated by them. If we consider lions as cats, the cult of the Lion-headed Goddess, Sekhmet, was prominent. The Ancient Egyptians had Bastet and Sekhmet among other feline deities, and cats were even held in higher regard than men, drawing from the fact that harming a cat was an act punishable by death. Ancient Egyptian relief in Edfu Temple ( Wikimedia Commons ) These cats, however, were not as cats appear today—at least not at first. Ancient Cat in Today's Egypt Several archaeological remains point towards the domestication of cats in Ancient Egypt. Be they neonatal kittens, disabled adults or long-lost seniors, SHE strives to rescue, care and find homes for each and every cat that crosses its path. Archaeologists suggest that the ancient Egyptians may have developed a sort of symbiotic relationship with wildcats, which hunted down all the threats to supplies of food. Located at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe, the land of Egypt comprises hot, sandy deserts crossed by the ever-meandering Nile that constantly makes its way into the Mediterranean sea. Cats began to appear on objects, such as jewelry, clothing, mirror handles, etc. Besides these graceful hunters, Egyptians also considered sacred black bulls, falcons, crocodiles, jackals, ibises, sheep and some other animals and birds. She also protected humans from venomous animals, and since venomous creatures, such as snakes and scorpions were (and are) in abundance in the Egyptian desert, the goddess had an important place in the pantheon. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. But, they were also held in high esteem for their aloofness and mysterious characteristics. Find vets, rescue teams, shops and pet services in your local area. Cats likely became so entwined with Egyptian life for practical reasons: Agriculture attracted rodents, which attracted wild cats. Famously devoted to these furry creatures —calling them miw onomatopoetically—the Egyptians mummified deceased cats and depicted them in paintings and sculptures. It is absolutely fascinating how cats not only entered the common households of Ancient Egypt, but also occupied an important place in their religious realm. The cult at Bubastis became so huge during this time, that the name of the city became almost synonymous with the name of the goddess. According to Herodotus, the population of cats in and around the temple of Bubastis was so large that, in order to control it, these felines were regularly sacrificed to the goddess. Owing to the cat’s status as a guardian, it was then regarded as the sacred guardian of the Underworld. Hartwig wants to make one thing clear, though: Egyptians did not worship cats, but they did believe that cats held a bit of divine energy within them. Middle Eastern species of cats were domesticated in Egypt about 10,000 years ago and while various other animals were also considered sacred, cats had a special status among those animals. These, according to archaeologists, were apparently domesticated cats, as people would not otherwise take trouble to go in the wild, look for dead cats, and mummify them. However, there are several other aspects as well, which have managed to attract substantial amount of popular attention. Only one deity, the goddess named Bastet, had the power to become a cat. Though they are no longer worshiped in the manner they used to be, cats are still loved the world over as pets and for their mouse-hunting skills. Bastet’s feline associations began to change around the same time as cats (known as miu or miit—he, or she, who mews) were being domesticated in Egypt… The latter had a calmer temperament and so was more commonly domesticated than its wilder relative. Cats are traditionally believed to have been domesticated in Egypt during the Middle Kingdom (c. 1950 B.C.E.). Owing to the rising importance of the city, the cult of Bast also became increasingly popular throughout the land. A mummified cat is one of the grave goods that has been abundantly found in tombs, especially of nobility and the royalty. All rights reserved. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. Although it has been commonly accepted that cats were first domesticated in Egypt 4000 years ago, their history among human beings goes back much further. In the absence of enough evidence, it is rather difficult to estimate exactly when cats began to be domesticated, but we know for sure that the ancient Egyptians did have pet cats. This shows how important the cat was for the ancient Egyptians. Our site includes quite a bit of content, so if you're having an issue finding what you're looking for, go on ahead and use that search feature there! Bast was known as the goddess of motherhood and fertility. There were more than 300,000 mummified cats in the temple - further proved that they were sacred in ancient Egypt. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The worship of cats in Egypt has been a topic of fascination for many cat owners and lovers. Unfortunately the most are abandoned and homeless, they are treated badly by the owners or the bystanders. Seeing their revered felines running haphazardly across the battlefield, the Egyptians chose to surrender, rather than killing the cats. In this study … As we know from archeological evidence, cats … The Cat in Ancient Egypt is an informative and entertaining work that will delight cat lovers and history buffs alike. Cats may have existed then, welcomed in the households, and fed and nurtured. However, the culmination of the cult came about only by the 8th century BCE, when Sheshonq I (or Sheshonq I), the founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty developed Bubastis into an important city. The ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, who traveled to Ancient Egypt, has mentioned in one of his travelogues about the importance of domesticated cats. Upon its excavation, cats were among the first things that the scientists noticed. They Loyally Join Along in Activities. The ancient Egyptian law forbade the killing of cats, except of course for sacrificial purposes. Owing to this, the cult’s reach and popularity declined to a great extent. These cookies do not store any personal information. View Images An Egyptian cat mummy. Cats were highly regarded in Ancient Egypt, which is evidenced by the overwhelming presence of cats in Egyptian art. Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)...right to your inbox. In ancient egypt, every big city supported one favorite god, similar to people who support football teams today. Whereas cats were an object of reverence, the most widely found pet in pet friendly Egypt was the dog. Cat wasn’t the only sacred animal in Egypt. As a sign of mourning, the cat owners shaved off their eyebrows, and continued to mourn until their eyebrows grew back. Because domestic cats were known for their mysterious and secretive nature and also possessed an ability to see in the dark, Bast and all her earthly manifestations came to be associated with the Underworld―the realm of the dead. Genetic analysis has revealed, however, that even if cats were found outside of Egypt, that the Egyptians were the ones to officially domesticate wild, feral cats into what we have today. While all the other ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses are depicted in the form of big cats―mainly lions―only Goddess Bast was represented as a domestic cat. When the cats died, they were mummified. Cats in ancient Egypt were mummified and buried in large quantities, hence held a special place in the culture of Ancient Egypt. Pets for Sale in Egypt. Egyptian god Ra and goddess Bastet looked at the world through the cat eyes, and people could make their prayers heard via cats. Wild cats are now known to have lived among the people of Mesopotamia over 100,000 years ago and to have been domesticated there approximately 12,000 BCE at about the same time as dogs, sheep, and goats. In the city of Per-Bast, a beautiful temple was built, and people came from all over to experience its splendor. But if you think that modern folks are cat-crazy you should have been around in Ancient Egypt. Thousands of years after cats in the Near East caught on, a second wave of cats began cohabitating with humans in Egypt. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Cats were held in very high esteem by the ancient Egyptians. 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