Egypt is most often known for mummies, pyramids and other famous monuments such as the Sphinx at Giza. Egypt also made a name in art for its paintings, sculptures and the construction of its pyramids. All of these things were customarily created for the pharaohs and the worship of their gods and goddesses. Egyptian religion is polytheistic and their gods were anthropomorphic, meaning they had many gods that could take on both human and animal forms, including the feline. These animals were very well treated and worshiped just like a god or goddess. One of the most important animals considered divine in Ancient Egypt was none other than the feline. Egypt worshiped cats as gods and goddesses, mummified them to join their masters after death and even depicted them in statues and art (Ions, 126).
The feline was the most important animal given divine honors because it was admired for its energy or power, strength and agility (Ions, 103). Egyptians first domesticated cats around 2000 BCE in Egypt. This was essentially because of their instincts to catch and kill rats and other rodents (Michelle). Eventually these domesticated house pets surpassed other animals of its time and elevated its status to a worshipped deity. Goddesses that are often depicted with a lion or cat embodiment are; Mafdet, Bastet, Sakhemet, Tefnut (Pinch, 134). Egyptian gods depicted with a lion or cat embodiment are Atum-Ra and Bes. All were associated with the sun-god Ra, sometimes being identified as “The Eye of Ra”. Ra was viewed as one of the most important gods because the sun controls farming and crops (Pinch, 129). Egyptians considered cats as royalty and treated them as such through laws that protected them from any harm. Therefore, if any human ...
... middle of paper ...
...rk: The Hamlyn Publishing Group, 1968. 103,111. Print.
Michelle, Angela. "Cats Role in Ancient Egypt: Cats and their Egyptians." HubPages. hubpages, 2011. Web. 20 Feb 2011. .
Pinch, Geraldine. Handbook of Egyptian mythology. Santa Barbara: Abc-clio, 2002. 114- 115. Print.
Springer, Ilene. "The Cat in Ancient Egypt." Tour Egypt. Tour Egypt, 2010. Web. 20 Feb 2011. .
"The Goddesses of Ancient Egypt." Egyptian Goddesses. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2011. .
Quarterly, Wilson. "When Cats Ruled The World." 24.1 (2000): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar 2011. .
Johnson, Paul The Civilization of Ancient Egypt (New York: Harper Collins Publishers 1978,1998 and 1999)
Ian Hodder, “The Leopard’s Tale Revealing the Mysteries of Çatalhöyük,” (London: Thames and Hudson, 2011), 44.
In Ancient Egyptian times, religion was a very important aspect of their everyday lifestyle. Religion guided every aspect of Egyptian life. It was based on the worship of many deities, such as Ra the sun god and Osiris the god of the underworld. Some were worshipped throughout the whole country while others were only worshipped in certain areas. Deities could come in many different forms – some were often represented as half human and half animal, for example, Horus, the sky god had the head of a hawk and the body of a human. Each city had a temple built for the god of that city, it was considered as a home for the gods and the purpose was for it to be a place in which men could communicate with them. The gods of ancient Egypt were seen as
During the 22nd dynasty [945-715 B.C], Bastet became the Goddess of cats. Cats were sacred in ancient Egypt as they protected crops, hunted for the Egyptians and protected ancient Egyptians from diseases by eating infected vermin. Through this, Bastet indirectly became the protector God of ancient Egypt.
The Ancient Egyptians’ usage of cat figures in art is representative of their adoration for Bastet, the goddess of the felines, home, fertility, joy, dance, music and love. Bastet’s importance in everyday life was not limited by the boundaries of the class system and was translated by the Egyptians into a love for all cats, putting the felines in a position of sacredness in the culture. An example of her influence on ancient Egyptian culture can be found in the vocabulary as the word kitten was “miw” and children were called “miw-sheri (little cat)”. These animals also played a big part in agriculture as they would kill the mice, helping out the farmers.
"Roadkills of Cats Fall 90% in 10 years."AnimalPeople. np, Nov. 2003. Web. 28 April 2014.
Egyptians worshiped many gods and goddesses. Some of the gods they worshiped were Ra the sun god, Isis the god of nature and magic, Horus the god of war and Osiris the god of the dead. The act of worshiping many gods is called polytheism. The Egyptians had a god for almost everything.
Wilkinson, Toby A. H.. The rise and fall of ancient Egypt. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.
In conclusion, Ancient Egypt has a very complex religion and beliefs that would be considered bizarre in many parts of the world. They believed in many gods, some took part in the creation of the universe. Others brought the flood every year, offered protection and took care of people after they died. The ancient Egyptians thought that it was important to recognize and worship the gods because they represented the peace and harmony across the land.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to become an animal for a day, or a week, or maybe even forever? I have come upon the conclusion that a cat is one of the best animals to become in the animal kingdom. The key points being a cat’s habitat, behaviour, and finally their anatomy.
In Ancient Egypt cats would avenge the gods. The cats would avenge the gods by ruling for them since the gods are not there to rule. There were many breeds of cats in Ancient Egypt’s culture one of them being lions. Cats domesticated themselves in Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt tamed many breeds of cats and worshiped them.
The Felis genus of cats is the youngest known genus of the cat family and most domestic cats have derived from this genus. The most accepted ancestor of today’s modern domestic cats are the African Wildcat which is believed to have branched off and made the lineage of domestic cats about 70,000 to 100,000 years ago. The African wildcat was a hunting animal and gave all of its descendants their hunting traits. Today since domestic cats and small felines barely use these traits however, they have more or less become unfunctional or have been turned into weakened versions.
The domesticated feline has a rich and ancient history, starting a hundred thousand years ago in Mesopotamia where cats were used in farming to control pests like mice. However, ancient Egypt notably took the image of the domesticated agrarian feline and transferred it to the status of godly worship; it is even stated in historical texts that “the Egyptians cared so much for their cats that they placed their safety above human life and property” (Mark). Furthermore, the ancient Egyptians believed cats to be “magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them” which is the main reason for the proclaimed demi-god status of the cat (Napoli). The ancient Egyptians associated many connotations with the cat, mainly stating cats to being embodiment
Cats were sacred in ancient Egypt as they protected crops, hunted for the Egyptians and protected ancient Egyptians from diseases by eating infected vermin. Through this, Bastet indirectly became the protector God of ancient Egypt. Cats were considered holy and cats dressed in jewellery were worshipped in High Temples. Cats were Bastet's sacred animal and killing one was considered unfortunate in ancient Egypt. Cats were much loved pets in ancient Egypt so Bastet became popular amongst ancient
Maspero, Gaston. Manual Of Egyptian Archaeology And Guide To The Study Of Antiquities In Egypt. 1895. Print.