The Cats of Ancient Egypt
A look at the origins and cultural status of domestic cats in Ancient Egypt.
Long before cat memes dominated the internet, the Ancient Egyptians were glorifying our small, furry companions. Wild cats were first domesticated in Egypt and Mesopotamia between 10,000 and 4,000 years ago, though they may have lived among humans for thousands of years prior. The process began wherever humans first settled into grain-growing communities, drawing in both rodents and their predators. Of these predators, the wild cats of North Africa proved especially open to cohabiting with humanity. Rather than being actively domesticated, cats appear to have gradually developed a tolerance for human contact. And humans, for the most part, welcomed their useful new friends. Wherever Afro-Eurasian people traveled, especially by ship, the cat followed.
The Significance of the Cat in Ancient Egypt
For the Ancient Egyptians, cats represented two sides of the same coin: the fierce, lion-headed goddess Sekhmet and the protective, motherly cat goddess Bastet. Cats kept the home free of disease-spreading vermin, protected grain stores, and were devoted mothers to their kittens—symbols of a happy household. But, as many people have experienced, they could also unleash their claws at a moment’s notice. Is it any wonder that the Ancient Egyptians valued cats as divine beings, artistic muses, and companions?
But where modern people usually keep cats simply as pets, felines carried a different weight among the Egyptians. Because of their close association with two important deities, they also figured into regular worship and the rites of the dead. Hundreds of thousands of mummified cats have been unearthed from dig sites in Egypt, most contained within statuettes. Millions were entombed in this way, suggesting an advanced industry of cat breeders to meet demand. These were then given as offerings to Bastet by common people. In addition to domestic cats, the mummified remains of wild cats and even young lions have been found.
In other cases, the deceased might be buried with their mummified pets to accompany them to the afterlife. Beloved pets, just like now, could be mourned by their families for months. Archaeologists have even unearthed pet cemeteries, with plots containing favorite cats and dogs buried thousands of years ago. Besides mummified offerings, cats also feature in thousands of recovered Egyptian sculptures and figurines.
From these exalted origins, cats have since spread across the globe, occasionally even becoming invasive pests. In many cultures, they took on the role of devilish, mischievous tricksters, sometimes leading to mass cullings. More often than not, however, cats carved out a niche for themselves in homes, on ships, and in city alleyways. Through all their adventures and misadventures, these descendants of Egypt have never left our collective imagination.
References
Daley, Jason. “Archaeologists Reveal Rare Mummified Lion Cubs Unearthed in Egypt.” Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Nov. 2019, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-mummified-lion-cubs-unearthed-egypt-180973645.
Daley, Jason. “Tomb Full of Sacred Cats and Beetles Found in Egypt.” Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Nov. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tomb-full-cats-and-scarab-found-egypt-180970786.
Engels, Donald. Classical Cats: The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Cat. 1st ed., Routledge, 1999.
“How Did Cats Become Domesticated?” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/how-did-cats-become-domesticated. Accessed 12 Jan. 2021.
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