Cats in the Egyptian culture

I have always liked history - it was one of my favourite subjects in the educational cycle. I was especially interested in antiquity in Egypt, Greece and Rome. However, it seems that the history itself wouldn't seem interesting enough to you, so I decided to tell you today about a phenomenon occurring in Egypt at that time. Namely, about the cats' cult.

In the times of ancient Egypt, there were the only non-two types of cats. One is wild cats (Felis chaus) and the other is domestic cats (Felis silvestris libyca). However, the Egyptians did not distinguish between the species of cats and they were all equally called in the male form "miu" or in the female form "miit". Maybe that's why we say cats meow today...

On the paintings in private tombs you can see cats sitting under or next to the host's chair, or accompanying their master during a hunt in papyrus bushes. Symbolic and religious image of the cat was also used in jewelry, especially in necklaces. It's because of them that we can assume when the cats were domesticated - around 2000 B.C.

These animals were taken very seriously in Egyptian culture - the sculptures and paintings usually depicted cats in a sitting position, with a proudly stretched, slender neck decorated with beautiful corals with their heads raised. The images of cats were gilded and decorated with the most expensive stones. They were treated with due respect, and were even allowed to eat with their homemakers at the common table. They were identified with the characteristics of rulers, i.e. strength, pride, power, bravery and dignity.

The death of a cat meant mourning for all the people in the household. On her sign the Egyptians shaved their eyebrows. It was necessary to bury them with dignity and celebrate mourning. The dead cat's body was wrapped in a canvas and taken to the temple where the priests embalmed it to ensure eternity. The mummified bodies were buried in the temple catacombs, to which the cat "delicacies": mice, rats and milk.