Pets in Ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, they kept a variety of pets, with cats, dogs, mongooses, monkeys, gazelles, and birds being among the most popular.

Many Egyptians deeply cherished their animal companions, and mourning the loss of a beloved pet was a serious ritual. According to Herodotus, in his publication Histories (Book II, Chapter 66) traditional mourning practices included wailing and even shaving one’s eyebrows as a sign of grief.

Inscriptions on mummified pet remains reveal that Egyptian dogs and cats were often given names remarkably similar to those used today. More than seventy names have been translated, showing the personal affection Egyptians had for their canine companions.

It is thought that many Ancient Egyptian pets lived inside the homes of their owners, like those of us with pets today, our relationship with our animal companions seldom differs, especially for those animals considered sacred or important to the Egyptians.

An example of this tenderness towards one’s pet is Prince Thutmose of the 18th Dynasty, who had a stone sarcophagus built for his beloved pet cat named Ta-miu (she-cat), who was carefully mummified and placed inside a stone coffin and laid to rest in the prince’s tomb, reflecting the high status some pets held in royal and elite households.

According to the Greek writer, Polyaenus, c. 200 A.D., the Persians, during their successful attempt at occupying Egypt in 525 B.C., used sacred animals as bait and protection against the Egyptian military. It was written that cats were purposefully being slung and thrown to their death in front of the Egyptian soldiers, due to cats being a famously sacred animal to the Egyptian.

The Theban Priestess Maatkare Mutemhat

One of the most intriguing pet burials was found in the tomb of Maatkare Mutemhat, a Theban High Priestess. At her feet lay a small, mummified bundle, initially believed to be an infant. This discovery puzzled researchers, as Maatkare Mutemhat had taken a strict vow of chastity. If the mummy was a child, it would suggest she had broken her oath, raising numerous historical questions. However, in 1968, an X-ray revealed the mummy was actually an adult African Green Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops), likely her cherished pet.

Maatkare’s half-sister, Esemkhet, was also buried with an animal companion—her pet gazelle, which had been mummified and placed beside her in the tomb.

Another Egyptian, Hapymen, ensured his loyal dog would remain by his side in the afterlife. The dog was carefully mummified, wrapped in cloth, and placed near his coffin, a touching testament to the enduring bond between humans and their pets in Ancient Egypt.

Animal Sacrifice

Despite the general reverence of animals in Ancient Egyptian society, the Egyptians also practiced ritual animal sacrifice as a means of appeasing the gods. Thus, while animals were revered, the Egyptians believed in the importance of ritual balance, where sacrifice was a necessary offering to the gods, even when the animals involved were considered sacred.

These sacrifices were often offered during temple ceremonies, with animals such as bulls, goats, and birds being killed in honour of deities like Amun, Osiris, and Hathor. Such acts were believed to nourish the gods and ensure the prosperity and stability of the kingdom, reflecting the complex relationship between the Egyptians and the divine, where even the sacred creatures were sometimes given up for the greater cosmic balance.

Cat Sacrifice

The practice of cat sacrifice in Ancient Egypt likely began during the New Kingdom period, c. 1550–1070 B.C., however, the most well-documented cat sacrifices occurred later, during the Ptolemaic Period, c. 332–30 B.C., when cats were occasionally sacrificed at temples, particularly in association with rituals honouring Bastet. During these rites, cats might have been slaughtered as offerings to ensure divine favour or to express devotion to the goddess.

Temples dedicated to Bastet, especially the famous Temple of Bastet at Bubastis, became a major centre of cat worship and mummification. Pilgrims travelling to these temples would often offer sacrifices to the goddess, and one of the most common offerings was the sacrifice of cats. These cats would be mummified and presented as gifts to Bastet, either in life or death.

Many of these mummified cats were created in large quantities, sometimes as part of temple-sponsored production, where cats were bred, raised, and killed specifically for ritual purposes. Mummification workshops existed, where skilled artisans would prepare the cats for burial, embalming them with the same care as human mummies, and wrapping them in linen bandages. Some mummies were simply wrapped, while others were more intricately prepared with faces painted, or filled with resin and other materials to preserve the body.

Once mummified, the cats were sold at the temples or surrounding markets as ritual offerings. Pilgrims and those seeking the favour of the gods would buy these mummified cats and present them as part of their worship, believing that doing so would earn them blessings from Bastet. Some of these mummies may have even been used in the funerary practices of the wealthy, as offerings to protect them in the afterlife.

The production of mummified cats was a large-scale industry during the Late Period, c. 664–332 BC. and into the Ptolemaic Period, c. 332–30 B.C. The demand for these ritual offerings was so high that temples, particularly in Bubastis, had mummification centres where hundreds of thousands of cats were embalmed and sold annually. These mummified cats were not always unique or individually special; instead, they were often produced in mass quantities to meet the demands of religious practice.

Over the years, large quantities of mummified cats have been discovered by archaeologists, especially at Bubastis, where mass graves containing thousands of cat mummies have been found. In 1888, for instance, a massive burial site near the temple was uncovered, revealing an astounding collection of about 300,000 mummified cats. These mummies were often found alongside other animal remains, such as birds and crocodiles, which were also offered as sacrifices to the gods.

The sheer scale of these findings demonstrates how central cats were to the religious and ritual life in Ancient Egypt. However, the overproduction of cat mummies eventually led to a decline in their ritual significance by the time of the Roman conquest of Egypt, 30 B.C., when the practice of mummification became less common.

The practice of selling mummified animals as ritual offerings, highlights the complex relationship between man and beast. And how religion and the economy create traditions and trade, even when it comes to harming living creatures we hold high regard for.

All of these animals, from the sacred Apis Bull to the countless cats, once revered, thought of as divine representation and ritually sacrificed to the gods, have now become important archaeological artefacts, providing valuable insights into the spiritual and cultural life of Ancient Egyptian society throughout the ages. Today, mummified animals from Ancient Egypt can be found in museums around the world, bearing silent witness to an age-old devotion to the divine in the form of the sacred sacrifice.