Cats feature in ancient Egyptian art. It reflects the cat's unique status among people who lived along the Nile River. Cats were first seen as beneficial predators but later became symbols of divinity and protection. While ancient Egyptians did not worship animals, they did see them as representations of divine aspects of their gods.

Cats in ancient Egypt

Most of what we know about the function of cats comes from scenes depicted in paintings on the wall of tombs. <ul><li>In the scenes, cats are shown laying or sitting below chairs, playing or chasing after birds.&nbsp;</li><li>In some mortuary texts, they are also shown with a dagger, cutting through the snake deity Apopis, who threatens the sun god Ra.</li><li>In the Tomb of Nebamun, one painting shows a cat accompanying Nebamun while fishing and fowling.</li></ul>

The function of cats 

Ancient Egyptians held cats in high regard, not just because of the preferences of their gods, but also because the pharaohs kept giant cats. Egyptians considered cats smart, quick and powerful. The lioness goddess, Sekhmet, was a warrior and protector deity that kept away illness and sickness and also kept the enemies of the sun god Ra at bay. Cats were also viewed as possessing the power of fertility. They were shown sitting under women's chairs, implying a connection to women and perhaps fertility.

Characteristics of cats

The ancient Egyptians believed their gods could assume different forms. The gods could appear with the head of a cat and also inhabit the bodies of cats. For this reason, cats were mummified, creating a whole economy around breeding and mummifying cats.

Cat mummification

Felines served a useful purpose in ancient Egyptian households and eventually became divine symbols.

Stashed ideas

How Cats Became Divine Symbols in Ancient Egypt

Nefertiti is a most recognised figure from ancient Egypt thanks to the 1912 discovery of her remarkable bust.
<ul>
<li>She was the wife of pharaoh Akhenaten and was possibly a first cousin of the king.</li>
<li>During her period as Akhenaten&#39;s wife, she was depicted smiting Egypt&#39;s enemies, something unique to her.</li>
<li>Nefertiti survived her husband as a fully-fledged female pharaoh.</li>
</ul>

Facts about Nefertiti, the wife of pharaoh Akhenaten

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History

<ul>
<li>Sobekneferu, the daughter of King Amenemhet III, became the first female pharaoh of the 12th Egyptian Dynasty as he did not have any sons.</li>
<li>In the 18th Dynasty, a woman called Hatshepsut was the regent for the young King Thutmose III. Seven years into his reign, she promoted herself to female pharaoh and ruled alongside him.</li>
<li>Some centuries after Nefertiti, a lady called Tausret carries on ruling as a female pharaoh when the young king suddenly dies.</li>
</ul>

Evidence of female pharaohs

There is a theory that Nefertiti was Tutankhamun&#39;s mother and that they ruled together, but she was a female pharaoh on her own before Tutankhamun came into his own.
If Nefertiti was the Younger Lady found in tomb KV35, then she died a horrible death. It appears she received a heavy blow to the face, smashing many bones that possibly resulted in a massive loss of blood. Death would have occurred quickly.

Nefertiti's reign and death

Most people around the world are familiar with the Egyptian queen Nefertiti thanks to the discovery of her remarkable bust in 1912. But how much do you know about the wife of King Amenhotep IV, a pharaoh also known as Akhenaten? Rachel Dinning talks to Egyptologist Aidan Dodson about some of the theories surrounding Nefertiti’s life, death and achievements – including the key question: was she a pharaoh?

Your guide to Egypt’s sun queen Nefertiti

Cats and humans have enjoyed a mostly symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. When and where cats first became domesticated has been a riddle for scientists.
<ul>
<li>Some clues first came from the island of Cyprus in 1983, when archaeologists found a cat&#39;s jawbone dating back 8,000 years. </li>
<li>In 2004, an older site in Cyprus was unearthed where a cat had been deliberately buried with a human. This made it more certain that the island&#39;s ancient cats were domesticated.</li>
<li>In 2007, authors of a study declared that cats were first domesticated in the Near East about 12,000 years ago and that they descended from a Middle Eastern wildcat, Felis sylvestris, which means &quot;cat of the woods.&quot;</li>
</ul>

The domesticated cat

Cats only became useful to humans when people started to till the ground and store surplus crops. With grain stores came mice, cats were delighted by the abundance of prey, and people were delighted by the pest control.
Over time, as people favored cats with more docile traits, certain cats adapted to this environment, producing dozens of breeds of house cats known today.

When cats became useful

<ul>
<li>The ancient Egyptian reverence for cats is well-known - scientists found a cat cemetery in Beni-Hassan with 300,000 cat mummies. The Egyptian goddess of love, Bastet, has the head of a cat.</li>
<li>Ancient Romans held a similar reverence for the cat, which were seen as a symbol of liberty.</li>
<li>Cats became demonized in Europe during the Middle Ages. Many were killed in an effort to ward off evil. Only in the 1600s, the public image of cats began to rally in the West.</li>
<li>Nowadays, cats are superstars in comic strips and television shows.</li>
</ul>

Cats over millennia

It may be that "nobody owns a cat," but scientists now say the popular pet has lived with people for 12,000 years

A Brief History of House Cats

Movie mummies are known for riches and a nasty curse. However, Hollywood didn&#39;t invent the curse concept.
<ul>
<li>Egyptologist Dominic Montserrat believed that a lively stage show in which real Egyptian mummies were unwrapped inspired writers to pen tales of mummy revenge.</li>
<li>Egyptologist Salima Ikram believes the curse concept did exist in ancient Egypt as part of a primitive security system. Some early non-pyramid tomb walls (mastaba) in Giza and Saqqara were inscribed with curses meant to terrify those who would desecrate the resting place.</li>
</ul>

Mummies and the  "curse" concept

Some suggested that the pharaoh&#39;s curse was biological in nature.
<ul>
<li>Lab studies have shown some ancient mummies carried mold, including Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus, which can cause congestion or bleeding in the lungs.</li>
<li>Bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus may also grow on tomb walls, causing lung problems.</li>
</ul>
However, the idea that an underground tomb, after 3,000 years, would have some microorganism in it that would kill somebody weeks later is highly unlikely.

Egyptian mummies: tomb toxin threat

100-year-old folklore and pop culture have perpetuated the myth that opening a mummy's tomb leads to certain death.

ancientegypt

Cats in ancient Egypt

How Cats Became Divine Symbols in Ancient Egypt

Facts about Nefertiti, the wife of pharaoh Akhenaten

Your guide to Egypt’s sun queen Nefertiti