Apr 19, 2021 20:00:00

Why did the ancient Egyptians love cats?

In the 'Battle of Pelusium' that took place in 525 BC, there is an anecdote that 'an ancient Egyptian who loves cats could not attack the Persian army with a cat attached to a shield', and the ancient Egyptians It is said that he was fond of cats. Live Science , a scientific media, explains the mystery of why ancient Egyptians loved cats.

Why were the ancient Egyptians obsessed with cats? | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egypt-cats.html

Dozens of cat mummies were found in the mausoleum of ancient Egypt, and more than 500 cats were carefully buried in Berenike , located at the eastern end of Egypt. About 2000 years ago, 'Pet's Tomb' In recent years, various evidences have been found that cats were loved in ancient Egypt.

A 2000-year-old 'pet grave' where 585 cats, dogs and other animals were buried is discovered --GIGAZINE

At

the ancient Egyptian exhibition held at the Freer Gallery of Art in 2018, 'cats have two aspects:'protective, loyal and nurturing'and'strong, independent and ferocious'. Also, ancient times. The Egyptian gods have the same duality as cats. In this way, cats were in awe of the people because they had similar characteristics to the gods. '

The famous sphinx among the ancient Egyptian gods has a 'human face' and a 'lion body', and the goddess Sekhmet , known as the destructive god and the guardian deity of the king, has a 'lion face' and a 'human body'. I'm waiting. In addition, the goddess Pastet is reported to have a 'cat face' and a 'human body.' In this way, the gods who adopted the appearance of cats and lions were worshiped in ancient Egypt, and Live Science points out that 'ancient Egyptians believed that cats were sacred creatures.'

Cats have been loved not only for their awe as sacred creatures close to the gods, but also for their ability to hunt rats and snakes. University College London reports that ancient Egyptians sometimes gave their children names and nicknames after their cats,

As mentioned above, the cats were loved by the ancient Egyptians, but it is known that many cats were killed for ceremonies. For example, a study published in 2020 revealed that from 700 BC to 300 BC there was a custom of 'burying a cat less than 5 months old who had broken his neck and killed it with the dead.' It has become. Furthermore, it has been found that there was also a 'facility for raising a large number of cats for ceremonial use.'

Live Science concludes, 'I'm not sure why it was considered desirable to bury it with a cat. There seems to be a subtle line between worship and attachment.'