Cats in Ancient Egypt - 1732 Words

When one imagines Ancient Egypt, the images of sand, mummies, and pyramids usually come to mind. Modern times portray cats as a lovable, furry household animal. Did the thought of the two intertwining ever occur? By examining the goddess Bast, tombs where cat mummies reside, and the process of mummifying cats, one can better understand the true significance of the gentle creature in the days of the Ancient Egyptian. Ancient Egyptians worshipped gods and goddesses frequently. They seemed to posses one for any concept or thing imaginable. People think of Bast as one of the most popular goddesses of her time and generally remember her as a cat goddess. She wore the head of a lion or wildcat in the beginning and possessed the predatory†¦show more content†¦The Egyptians viewed statuettes as symbols of religion with great importance and history. Tombs of Egyptians and cat cemeteries along the Nile River held many cat mummies. Thebes housed many important cat tombs. In mountains to the west of the Nile River, the Theban tombs resided. Thebes had 4 main burial cites that heavily depicted cats. The Bible referred to Thebes as the City of Amun, which showed that the city majorly impacted the people. Over the course of history, the first cat name to ever appear occurred in an 11th dynasty tomb. At the feet of a statue of the King of Hana, a title of Babylonia, overbearingly sat a cat with the name of Bouhaki. The name means something similar to divine healer of the home. The 18th dynasty emerged as one of the first dynasties to show the tomb walls of the nobles to depict scenes from everyday life. Pharaohs’ tomb walls tend to focus more on religious scenes. As a result, historians understand more about the day-to-day activities of Ancient Egyptians through the nobles. Because of the numerous representations of felines on the tomb walls, one can infer they played an essential role in an Egyptian’s life. One specific tomb wall painting proposes tha t cats hunted with humans, much like hound dogs, and humans kept them as pets. The loving function they assumed could possibly attribute to how popular the Egyptians found Bast. ArchaeologistsShow MoreRelatedAncient Egyptian Art : A Visual Analysis Of Bastet And The Menat Of Taharqo1267 Words   |  6 Pages Cats in Ancient Egyptian Art: A Visual Analysis of Bastet and the Menat of Taharqo: the King Being Nursed by the Lion-Headed Goddess Bastet The ancient Egyptians are known for their fondness for animals, and the cat was a favorite household companion. Cats were common in ancient Egyptian art that depicted domestic scenes since they were greatly appreciated as killers of rodents, snakes, scorpions, ect. Typically homes with cats had less sickness, and fewer deaths. But beyond these roles, cats wereRead MoreAbu Mena Essays1441 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Abu Mena (Egypt) By: Porsha Lee. 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