Researchers at Scotland’s University of Aberdeen got a small
surprise when they used a CAT scan to take a peek at what was inside an ancient
Egyptian cat mummy in their collection. Instead of a full-grown cat, what was
inside the mummy’s wrappings was actually just a kitten. Its neck had been
broken. While we may think of the Egyptians mummifying their dear, departed pets,
there also existed an industry that bred cats specifically to be mummified and
sold to worshipers as temple offerings, possibly to Bastet. In this case, the seller
might have made more money from a large cat than a kitten, so he likely bulked
up the mummy to charge a higher price.
However, Jaromir Malek* has written that, judging
from the evidence of other cat mummies, it wasn’t unusual for young cats to be
killed and mummified, most likely for sale. So it isn’t clear to us that the
seller was cheating the buyer in this case (though he may well have been).
*The Cat in Ancient
Egpyt. Revised edition. London: British Museum Press, 2006.
At least the mummy wasn't empty - lots were, that was even cheaper & quicker.
ReplyDeleteStill, doesn't excuse killing kittens for profit.
I knew about Egyptians and their love for cats, but this detail is certainly a new one to me. Thank you for the history lesson! Though, I do feel bad for these poor kitties.
ReplyDeletePoor kitty. I had no idea they killed them, I thought they mummified them after death.
ReplyDeleteSame thing with other sacred animals - ibises, crocodiles, snakes. And as bustereggi says, in a lot of cases X-rays have shown just bundles of sticks or a few bones. It was a big industry.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's pretty crazy! Interesting history lesson though.
ReplyDelete