![]() Sarcophagus of Prince Thutmose's cat, exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts of Valenciennes, France ![]() Ī wall painting in the Fifth Dynasty's burial ground at Saqqara shows a small cat with a collar, suggesting that tamed African wildcats were kept in the pharaonic quarters by the 26th century BC. Seals and stone vessels with her name were found in the tombs of the pharaohs Khafre and Nyuserre Ini, indicating that she was regarded as protector since the mid 30th century BC during the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties. At the time, she was depicted with a lion ( Panthera leo) head. ![]() The deity Bastet is known from at least the Second Dynasty onwards. She was particularly prominent during the reign of Den. She was often also depicted with a head of a leopard ( Panthera pardus) or a cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus). During the First Dynasty, she was regarded as protector of the pharaoh's chambers against snakes, scorpions and evil. Mafdet was the first known cat-headed deity in ancient Egypt. In view of the huge number of cat mummies found in Egypt, the cat cult was certainly important for the country's economy, as it required breeding of cats and a trading network for the supply of food, oils and resins for embalming them. Īmong the mummified animals excavated in Gizeh, the African wildcat ( Felis lybica) is the most common cat followed by the jungle cat ( Felis chaus). They contained vast numbers of cat mummies and cat statues that are exhibited in museum collections worldwide. Ĭat cemeteries at the archaeological sites Speos Artemidos, Bubastis and Saqqara were used for several centuries. Cats were depicted in association with the name of Bastet. Cat-shaped decorations used during the New Kingdom of Egypt indicate that the cat cult became more popular in daily life. The protective function of cats is indicated in the Book of the Dead, where a cat represents Ra and the benefits of the sun for life on Earth. Skeletal remains of cats were found among funerary goods dating to the 12th Dynasty. Ĭats were praised for killing venomous snakes and protecting the Pharaoh since at least the First Dynasty of Egypt. The deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and in the company of a cat. Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility and power. Cats were represented in social and religious practices of ancient Egypt for more than 3,000 years. ![]()
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