Cats Served An Unusual Purpose In Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt continues to fascinate us today — thousands of years after those magnificent pyramids were built. And while plenty of mysteries still surround this distant era — just how did they build the pyramids with no modern equipment? — there’s one thing we know for sure: the pharaohs and their people loved cats. They weren’t so different from us in that respect. But this obsession was taken to lengths that are totally beyond the understanding of us 21st-century folk.
An ancient love affair
For centuries, cats played a big role in ancient Egypt. Everyone from the lower classes to the urban elite had them in their homes, and images of cats adorned many a prestigious tomb. But there was another twist to this love affair — one that took the relationship between humans and felines to a whole new level.
A desperate fate
And while cats may play a big role in society today, they were more important to the ancient Egyptians. Many even believe that they were worshipped as gods in their own right. But the truth is something far darker — a connection that sealed a grim fate for many an unfortunate animal.
A long relationship
The relationship between cats and the ancient Egyptians stretches all the way back to the First Dynasty, when the kingdom first came together under one ruler. This could have been as far back as the 34th century B.C. And among the many deities that emerged during this early period was Mafdet, a goddess with a feline head.
The feline gods
Today, experts believe that Mafdet was seen as the guardian of the pharaoh’s home — in much the same way real-life cats would have kept households free of pests such as snakes. Then, during the Second Dynasty, the deity Bastet appeared. She was said to be the daughter of the sun god Ra.
