ancient Egyptians also believed that you could take almost anything
with you, they packed up pets, furniture, jewelry and clothes that might
be useful on the other side.(Edwards 20) Pets such as dogs or cats were
mummified and buried with their owners when they died so they'd be able
to play together in the next life. Many ancient Egyptians had good relations
with their pets.
cults were common in Egypt throughout its history. Animal mummies focused
on one specific animal in which the spirit of the god would reside and
be worshipped as such for the duration of the animalís lifetime. Upon
its death it was mummified, and another one, chosen for its special
markings, would take its place.(Melek 50-59)
of Bull Apis.
Mummified by the Egyptians
Worshipped by the Egyptians:
as a CAT
as a COWS
as of a HAWK or FALCON
as of a CROCODILE
worshipped as a BABBOON or IBIS
as a DOG, FOX or JACKAL
as a RAM
as a BULL
mummies were prepared by removing the internal organs through the anus,
possibly with the help of turpentine or some other oleo-resin which
would be injected into the body cavity and plugged up until the viscera
had softened and could come out of the orifice. The animal was possibly
then packed in natron to dry it out, before being wrapped. There are
some other Late Period animal cults with cemeteries of mummified animals
such as the Mothers of Buchis and Apis. Each burial concentrates on
an individual animal.
The numbers of animals the Egyptians mummified are astonishing.
Millions of birds were mummified at Saqqara. During periodic celebrations
at Bubastis, a city that claimed as its deity the cat-like goddess Bastet,
priests daily snapped the necks of hundreds of 4-month-old kittens.
At Tuna el-Gebel, baboons and ibises representing the god Thoth were
mummified. At Abydos, dogs and jackals were sacrificed for the gods
Khentyamentiu and Wepwawet. Because so many animal mummies have been
found, archeologists speculate that animals were bred specifically as
offerings or were kept in sacred colonies. All of these sacred animals,
whether sacrificed or dying naturally, were buried in animal cemeteries.
By 300 B.C., more than 130 animal cemeteries existed across Egypt.(103-313)
crocodiles, sacred to the god Sobek, were also common in Egypt. These
were probably cured with natron or even salt and wrapped. They do not
show signs of evisceration. Some crocodile burials not only included
juvenile and adult crocodiles but their eggs, containing recognizable
fetuses, in some instances over 50! Crocodile mummies were often faked
with reeds and bones.
most common and long-lived cults were the Bull cults. There were several
such cults in Egypt, but the most important were the Apis Bull at Memphis,
the Mnevis Bull at Heliopolis, and the Buchis Bull at Armant.(Mahdy
3-16) It is unclear when the cults started. The bulls were then
generally fastened to boards with metal clamps through which bandages
were passed to secure the bull to the board, and then wrapped, as the
relative position of bandages to board indicates.
bulls were arranged in the position of a recumbent sphinx, a position
not natural to the animals. Cutting the tendons, thus releasing the
legs without breaking any bone, did this. The tail was placed under
the right hind leg. A wooden chin rest supported the head, and a shroud
covered the wrapped animal. The bulls wore masks covered by gold leaf,
with artificial eyes inserted.
Ancient Egyptians kept many animals as household pets, including cats,
dogs, monkeys, gazelles, and birds. Pet monkeys and cats are often depicted
on the walls of tombs, seated beneath the chair of their owner. These
paintings often had magical properties, ensuring that these pets, could
join their masters after death.(19-26)