Why Were The Ancient Egyptians So Obsessed With Cats?

Ancient Egyptians respected and worshiped each animal for different reasons. For example, dogs guarding and hunting abilities because it was valuable. However, we can see from the paintings and sculptures that cats were in a different position from all animals.

Special tombs were built for them, they were adorned with precious stones, they were fed with the best food… These lucky cats, distinguishes it from other animals What privileges did they have?

They had a goddess who turned into a cat: Bastet

According to Egyptian mythology, gods and goddesses had the ability to transform themselves into different animals. Just a goddess (Bastet), the power to be a cat he had. A beautiful temple was built in the city of Per-Bast and people came from all over to enjoy its splendor. Bastet was one of the most special deities.

The cats lived a life of luxury at the level of the royal family.

ancient Egyptians; cats have the ability to bring good luck to people who live with them magical creatures they believed it was. Rich families even wore jewels to honor them and fed them with the royal family’s food.

When cats died, they mummified and shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning. The mourning process would continue until his eyebrows were restored. For them they had such a special place; whoever killed a cat was sentenced to death.

Moreover, the ancient Egyptians first pet cemetery they created. This cemetery was about 2,000 years old, largely featuring cats wearing remarkable iron and beaded collars.

The traits possessed by cats resembled those of gods and rulers.

Much of that reverence was attributed to the ancient Egyptians, their gods and rulers, according to a 2018 exhibition on the importance of cats in ancient Egypt at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC. cat-like qualities It’s because they think they have it. Because cats; While they can be protective, loyal and nurturing, they can also be combative, independent and fierce.

In addition to this belief, the ability of cats to catch dangerous animals cannot be underestimated.

Imagine living in a time and place where every house is full of small, dangerous animals. in every corner a new threat lurking: wasps hiding in clay jars, rats spoiling stored grain, poisonous scorpions crawling under cradles… In this time and place, there was a creature that could protect the world from these little monsters: the cat.

Cats, who now live as family members in our homes, were life-saving companions of the ancient Egyptian people. Their gratitude to them was so high that they even gave their children the name “Mitt” (cat) for the girls. the name of felines they were giving.

The Egyptians’ fondness for cats also had its downsides.

However, many studies show that this obsession is not always well-intentioned and that the ancient Egyptians’ fascination with cats that it has a more sinister side claimed to have evidence.

Probably ca. 700 B.C. so that people could be buried side by side. millions of kittens to be killed and mummified There was a whole industry dedicated to breeding.

It is claimed that they raised cats to be buried together and killed them.

In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists performed an X-ray micro-CT scan of mummified animals. The researchers found the results better than the animal had predicted. much smaller and they said:

“When we saw it on screen, we knew he was young when he died. deliberately He was killed with a broken neck and was less than 5 months old when he was killed.”

Moreover, the practice of sacrificing cats was not uncommon. There were cats bred for this purpose, and it was industrial. Unfortunately, to be buried together It’s not entirely clear why buying a cat is so important, but they seem to have crossed a fine line between respect and infatuation.