Cat in ancient Egypt

The cat was one of the many animals whose attributes were venerated in the ancient Egypt . It was in particular associated with the symbol of protection. First of all misadventure of the god Re as a destroyer of the snake Apopis, it will know the top of its influence as an incarnation of the goddess Bastet.

Egyptian cats

One knows three species of the kind Felis having lived in ancient Egypt.

The Wildcat of Africa or ganté cat ( Felis silvestris libyca ) is the most widespread cat. Endemic species, one finds it everywhere apart from the the Sahara and of the tropical forests. Its size varies from 50 to 70 cm and its weight from 3 to 7 kg. Of a morphology comparable with Abyssins of today, it more clearly has a dark peeling for the alive groups in forest, for those alive in the desert. Animal preferably night, it drives out in the twilight or during the night. The day, it is protected from heat in burrows or trees.

The Cat of the marshes or chaus ( Felis chaus ) is an alive cat in the wetlands (one finds some until in Asia). Larger than a wildcat, but runs on legs, it measures from 60 to 75 cm for a varying weight from 10 to 15 kg. It has a long and fine muzzle, black brushes on the ears and a ringed tail. Its peeling of brown thick or reddish is marked black bands on the forefeet.

The Cat serval or serval ( Felis serval ) is a cat originating in Nubie (it is found South of the Sahara in the Southern Africa). Preferring the night, he lives in savanna. Of an intermediate size of approximately 70 cm and of a varying weight from 14 to 18 kg, it has a body hurled with long legs. Its mottled peeling is of a brown deer and is cleared up under its body. It has large ears, a small head and large eyes.

The cat with the daily newspaper

The Egyptians of Antiquity named the cat by the onomatopoeia “miou”, whose transcription is miw with the masculine and miwt with female (French also uses this kind of onomatopoeia that one finds in the verb miauler ).

It is thought that the domestication of the cat took place in Egypt during the OJ. Before becoming a pet appreciated for its softness, its grace and its nonchalance, the cat is before a whole protective animal. By driving out small the Rodent S, it protects the grain silos where the Egyptians stored their harvest (in particular the Blé), resource O how much vital for these people farmers. By driving out the Rat S, the cat eliminates a vector from grave diseases (like the Peste). Lastly, while driving out the Snake S (in particular the vipers with horns), it makes surer the neighborhoods of the hearths close from where it established its territory.

It seems that each temple had its own cats whose “guard of the cats” (hereditarily transmitted important station) had the load. The cat, like the other crowned animals, had a particular status in the Egyptian company. Thus it was interdict to kill or to even maltreat the cats, and the contraveners risked a very heavy sorrow being able to go until death (sorrow surely proportional to the importance of the aforesaid cat). Diodore of Sicily (a Greek historian) described a scene being unrolled towards -60: a roman chariot crushed by accident an Egyptian cat and in spite of the orders of the Pharaon Ptolémée {{XII}}, an Egyptian soldier killed the driver.

The thousands of mummies of cat found in cemeteries for cats can make us think that it was the most popular animal of the ancient Egypt. However, the great number of mummies of cats found can be also explained by its small size (one buries a cat more easily than a bull). In the palates, the cat was the pet par excellence, high in abundance. The tradition wanted that their Masters shave the eyebrows as a sign of respect when the cat had suddenly disappeared and a 70 days mourning took place the time of its momification. The cat accompanies sometimes its Master in beyond in the form of statuette (or carved on the burials). One also finds the cat represented on many vases, jewels and crockery, like in paintings (in particular under the seat of the woman, like protective symbol).

Cats in Egyptian mythology

Egypt, as well politically as culturally, did not always form a uniform block. In the beginning, there were many kingdoms, directed by tribes, for the majority totemistic, centering their worship on animals.

One allotted then such or such animal with such or such member, according to his qualities, of its rendered services, its courage, etc When a tribe or a member gained a victory, it was in right to require on behalf of the loser whom it adores his totem. An Empire was formed under Ménès, towards the XXXI E, adopting a more eclectic religion: Ibis, eagles, Scarabée S were adored and, surely, of the cats.

The Egyptians not saw the gods like simple spirits, but like entities intelligent, able to be incarnated in all to be or object. A crystal cut, decorated with the image of the goddess with head of lion Mafdet, date of approximately -3100: it is the oldest form of deity represented in Egypt. Bastet, the goddess with nigger head, was in the beginning painted like a protective and quarrelsome lion. Its image, during time, was modified to associate it with the domestic, benevolent but wild cats.

The cats, as an incarnation of Bastet, was momifiés. The respect that they received after death reflects that which it inspired each day of their life. The Greek historian Hérodote wrote that one posted sometimes a guard close it fire to make sure that no cat would burn itself. With died of a cat, also wrote Hérodote, the family was in mourning and shaved the eyebrows, as a sign of sadness.

Bubastis and the Worship of the Cat

Although the worship of the cat is already an important religious movement with the advent of the Nouvel Empire, it taken width when Sheshonq {{Ier}} developed the town of Bubastis (Arab: Such Basta), chief town of the goddess Bastet, located at the east of the Delta of the Nile. Bastet became very popular and important within the population, then representing the fertility, maternity, protection and the voluntary aspect (in the etymological direction, goodwill ) Sun - just as Sekhmet, it was called the Œil of Re. Joining together thousands of believers and as many pilgrims, the worship of the cat was responsible for the annual arrival for an immense population in the streets for Bubastis. Bubastis became another name of Bastet.

Close to the center of the city, one could see the temple of Bastet. This temple was lowered compared to the remainder of the city, to avoid the erosion of water, but was elevated to avoid the floods thereafter. Hérodote, which visited Bubastis in -450, said of this temple that, if it were not also large or had not cost as much as those of the cities neighborhood, no one did not offer any more pleasure to the eyes. Hérodote describes in detail the temple. A channel, which surrounds the temple, gives to this last a pace of deserted island. In the court an alley of trees was, driving towards the interior entry, which exposed a massive statue of Bastet, as well as a big number of crowned cats whose priests occupied themselves thanks to the gifts of the pilgrims. These cats, very respected, did not remain less extremely numerous about it, and a periodic sacrifice was organized. The sacrificed cats, often of the kittens, were then blessed and momifiés, then sold like crowned relics. Bubastis became a center of trade, that it is in the sale of the Bronze, of the sculptures or the amulets to the effigy of the cat. Hérodote wrote that the annual festival in the honor of Bastet which was held in the city was one of most popular, making move believers of all Egypt.

The mercenary attitude and the influence of Bubastis inspired the authors of mythology Judeo-Christian. To the VI E, Ezéchiel wrote: The young men of Swallow-hole and Pibeseth will fall by the sword, and these cities will be captives. Ezéchiel perceived by the importance of Bubastis, following the example town of Ninive, a Paganisme and a Péché which would be worth at the two cities a punishment.

Towards -525, Egypt was the principal Empire that the Perse had not conquered yet. Cambyse {{II}}, wire of Cyrus {{II}}, thus laid down the objective to change this irrefutable fact. With its army, he traversed 56 km with back of camel through the desert to the Egyptian outpost of Pelesium. They attacked the Egyptian army, which did not dare to counteract the sight of the Persian shields, on which one could see a bronze cat. However, the city was defended more effectively thanks to the reinforcements of the Egyptian army, which put in rout the Persian combatants.

Funerary traditions

Hérodote wrote that the cats which would die, where that it is in Egypt, were brought to Bubastis to be momifiés and buried in the large cemetery. However, it seems that it is only very exceptional.

The Swiss Egyptologist Henri Edouard Naville found nearly 20 m ³ of corpses of cats, and the traces of cremation, of the bones in vases, wells, clay. Beside each puit, a furnace bridge and a hearth, blackened by fire. The momification is supposed to make it possible the Ka (the spirit) of late to find its host and to reappear there in the other world. For that, the body must remain intact - the cremation interferes with this process. Nevertheless, flarings or not, the cats received the funerary rites and the embalming, as well as their owners.

In 1888, the discovery of the temple of Bastet, apart from Blessed Hassan, brought to the excavation of almost 19 tons of mummies and animal remainders - of which relatively few cats. Recently, Roger Tabor discovered another cat-like cemetery with the temple of Bastet, raising a thick layer of 20 cm mummies compressed by the remains of the temple, spread out over a width of 6 meters.

Decline of the worship of the cat

The worship of Bastet was officially prohibited by imperial decree, towards -390. The cat in Egypt thus saw a progressive decline of its interest, although remained as a pet, it was not adored more in the temples. Because in particular of the diseases, and plague in particular, that it transmitted, the cat does not have any more, today, the importance which it had in Egypt.

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