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by Venuja Arosh - Level 5 - Intermediate 1

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The animal who was named as lord in ancient Egypt 

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The animal who was named as lord in ancient Egypt 

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Cats were represented in social and religious practices of ancient Egypt for more than 3000 years. Ancient Egyptian's deities were cat like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet. They represented justice, fertility and power.  They were highly domesticated very largely. We can see cats most houses in Egypt. They say the people who have cats in their houses are lucky. Because, cats were praised for killing venomous snakes and protecting Pharaoh since at least first Dynasty in Egypt. The most interesting  thing in Egypt is they have cat cemeteries. The protective function of cats is indicated by the book of dead. They do all the things to protect their cats. The cats and the cat owners celebrate happily and joyfully. They thank their god for protecting their cat. Some even believe that cats have magic powers to protect Egypt. Some people don't have cats in their houses but they at least have one cat statue. When a cat dies people cry because bad luck will come to them. When they hand them to the cemetery they take their skeleton and treat it as a human mummy. Then they start making a statue exactly like the cat. Then they start to worship to god not to bring them bad luck. But the ones who have the cats with them started to dress them with jewels. And they even feed them with treats fit for royalty.

By Hasandu Weerasinghe
Level 5 Intermediate 01

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Why were the cats in ancient Egypt very important?

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Why were the cats in ancient Egypt very important?

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Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. To honor these treasured pets, wealthy families dressed them in jewels and fed them treats fit for royalty. When the cats died, they were mummified. Egyptians are actually responsible for the name 'cat' in that it derives from the North African word for the animal, quanta and, as the cat was so closely associated with Egypt (and Egyptian trade came to greatly influence Greece and Rome) almost every other European nation employs variations on this word: French, chat; Swedish, kart; German, Katz; Italian, Gatton; Spanish, Gatos and so forth (Morris, 175). The colloquial word for a cat - 'puss' or 'pussy' - is also associated with Egypt in that it derives from the word Pashto, another name for the cat goddess Bastet. The cat is almost synonymous with Egypt through its association with the image of Bastet who was originally imagined as a ferocious wild cat, a lioness, but softened in time to become a housecat. Cats were prized not only for their company but their utility in that they kept the home clear of unwanted visitors such as rats and snakes.

Cats were so important to the ancient Egyptians that they literally sacrificed their country for them. In 525 BCE the Persian general Cambyses II invaded Egypt but was stopped by the Egyptian army at the city of Peculium. The historian Polyarenes (2nd century CE) writes that Cambyses II, knowing the veneration the Egyptians held for cats, had the image of Bastet painted on his soldiers' shields and, further, "ranged before his front line dogs, sheep, cats, ibises and whatever other animals the Egyptians hold dear" knowing that they would not fight against images of animals they loved. The Egyptians surrendered and the country fell to the Persians. During Cambyses II's victory march he is said to have hurled live cats at the Egyptian's faces to mock them for surrendering their country for an animal.

Claims by some writers that cats were intentionally killed as sacrifices are almost impossible to accept. The penalty for killing a cat in Egypt - even by accident - was death so it is highly unlikely that cats would be killed as a sacrifice to a goddess whose role included the protection of cats. Cats were prized at such value that it was illegal to export them. The export of cats from Egypt was so strictly prohibited that a branch of the government was formed solely to deal with this issue. Government agents were dispatched to other lands to find and return cats which had been smuggled out.

By Nethuli Nuhansa Hemantha
Level 05 Intermediate 01

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The Ancient Egyptians domesticated a large variety of animals; from everyday cattle to the peregrine falcon and the Egyptian mongoose. These animals were important in many ways to everyday life in Ancient Egypt, from religious beliefs that the animal were associated with to their economic value and the companionship they provided. Cats are one of the many domesticated animals worth nothing they played an important animals worth helped define played an important role which helped define Ancient Egypt, Cats did more than just keep the vermin population under control, they were also a symbol of feminism and sacred connotations due to their connections to the Sun God Ra and the War Goddess Bastet.

During the pre-dynastic ear in Ancient

In Egypt, three different species of cats existed, the lynx, the swamp or jungle cats, and the African wild cat. The jungle cats were the largest and the heaviest. The jungle cats roamed the marshes and swamplands in the northern Nile Valley. These cats have had long legs but a relatively short tail and weighed around 3.5-6.5kgs. There are no hieroglyphics or tomb paintings found which indicated that the Egyptians differentiated from the wild cats and the domestic cats. Examinations revealed that the majority of the mummified cats recovered from the earliest dynasty were found to be surprisingly larger than the general wild cats. Among the mummies, a few of the "serval cats" were found, but it is unclear if these exotic cats were native to Egypt or if they had been imported from the south.

By Inuri Aseni
Level 05 Intermediate 01

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There were many civilizations in the past. Egyptian civilization which is named as Nile civilization was a very famous civilization. Egyptians believed many gods such as Ra, Horus, Anubis, and Osiris. As gods Egyptians believed animals as the magical creatures. Among them cat is the most special. In the present also you can see many places that they mentioned cats are capable of bringing luck to the people. So, Egyptians dressed cats with jewels and fed them as royalties. When cats died, they were mummified, and those mummies was kept inside the pyramids. According to ancient Egyptian chronicles gods had the power to transform themselves into animals’ bodies. Only one goddess named “Bastet” had the power to become as a cat. In many arts of Egypt, you can see incidents which cat and human are together. Cats were so special that those who killed cats, even by a mistake were inherited the death. And the other thing is cats killed terrible snakes and protected Pharaohs the kings of Egyptian culture. So, cats considered in ancient Egypt as GODS!

By Lakiru Kithnula Wanasinghe
Level 05 Intermediate 01

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An animal who was brave, cute, and lovely...

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A Miraculous animal who was named as a god!

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A Miraculous animal who was named as a god!

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There were many civilizations in the world. Among them, the Egyptian civilization was one of the famous civilizations.
The people who lived in Egypt had a specific culture, a religion, as well as a writing pattern.

In Egyptians' religion, it is mentioned that there were many gods such as Isis, Osiris, Horus, Amun, Ra (Re), Hathor, Bastet, Thoth, Anubis, and Ptah. Among them, the goddess Bastet was a lioness who later became a cat.

Goddess Bastet, the cat god was one of the famous deities among all the Egyptians. According to the legends, Bastet was the daughter of Ra, the god of the sun. The Egyptians believed that Bastet was the protector since the 30th century BC.
She was so popular among the lower Egyptians, as she was the protectress of the children and mothers. Her duty was to protect the pharaoh and kill venomous snakes. She also safeguarded cats, ointments, music, arts, and welfare.

So, the cat was also a main part of Egyptian civilization, because of the deity Bastet. The legends say that Eqyptians worshipped cats and respected them. We can have evidence for that from the story of the Battle of Pelusium. History says, during 525 BC, a Persian king called Cambyses ll, attacked Pelusium, placing cats before the Persian front lines.  As Egyptians venerated cats, they didn't attack Persians, so the Persians came and captured Pelusium.
From that story, we can learn that even in a battle, we must respect our religion.

Egyptians took care of cats, by keeping them as pets.
But, the most important thing was that, if they harmed or killed a cat, even not on purpose, that person is supposed to die as it was the rule in ancient Egypt.
The punishment was so strict, as even if a person saw that someone was killing a cat, he/she was supposed to call some people and kill the murderer of the cat.

After the cats' death, the Egyptians mummified those cats and kept them along with the owner's body. In the mummifying process, the Egyptians removed some of the body parts of the cats and used some of the ointments to keep the body fresh. Finally, they covered their body with a long cloth and placed them in a pyramid.

That is the story of the ancient cat in Egypt.
We must always remember to respect every single living - being on Earth. Otherwise, mother nature will gift us cruel punishments.

By Imesh Milinda Nethmin Weerathunga
Level 05 Intermediate 01

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Ancient Egyptians worshipped many animals for thousands of years. Animals were revered for different reasons. Dogs were valued for their ability to protect and hunt, but cats were thought to be the most special. Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them.

To honor these treasured pets, wealthy families dressed them in jewels and fed them treats fit for royalty. When the cats died, they were mummified.Art from ancient Egypt shows statues and paintings of every type of feline. Cats were so special that those who killed them, even by accident, were sentenced to death.

According to Egyptian mythology, gods and goddesses had the power to transform themselves into different animals. Only one deity, the goddess named Bastet, had the power to become a cat. In the city of Per-Bast, a beautiful temple was built, and people came from all over to experience its splendor.

The first feline god was Mafdet,who was worshipped for protection from poisonous bites from things like snakes and scorpions(which are varmints that cats eat).In lower Egypt,Bastet who was a more famous goddess,replaced Mafdet.Legend has it that both Mafdet and Bastet originated from Mau(who was also known as Mauit),a jungle cat who protected sacred trees form a serpent by capturing it and cutting off its head.Another one is in Egyptian mythology,the terrifying and nurturing aspects of feline goddess are most commonly represented by the Sekhmet and Bastet.

Bastet is probably the best-konwn feline goddess from Egypt.She is the goddess of the home,domesticity,women's secrets,cats,fertility and childbirth.She was a personification of the sun and had the head of a cat and body of a female.Bastet is the daughter of the sun god Ra,wife of Ptah and mother of Mihos.

In Egyptisn mythology,Sekhmet is a warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing.She is depicted as a lioness.Shw was seen as the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare.

Mafdet (also Mefdet,Maftet)was a goddess in the ancient Egyptian religion.She was often depicted wearind a skin of a Cheetah and protected against the bite of snakes and scorpions.She is a part of the ancient Egyptian deities during the First Dynasty of Egypt.

By Manugi Kavithma
Level 05 Indermediate 01

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THE MAGICAL CREATURES WHO LIVED IN EGYPT.

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THE MAGICAL CREATURES WHO LIVED IN EGYPT.

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Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. To honor these treasured pets, wealthy families dressed them in jewels and fed them treats fit for royalty. When the cats died, they were mummified.

Cat cemeteries at the archaeological sites Speos Artemidos, Bubastis and Saqqara were used for several centuries. They contained vast numbers of cat mummies and cat statues that are exhibited in museum collections worldwide. Among the mummified animals excavated in Gizeh, the African wildcat (Felis lybica) is the most common cat followed by the jungle cat (Felis chaus). In view of the huge number of cat mummies found in Egypt, the cat cult was certainly important for the country's economy, as it required breeding of cats and a trading network for the supply of food, oils and resins for embalming them.

Later in Egyptian history, the goddess Bastet (sometimes just “Bast”) replaced Mafdet as the feline goddess of choice. Like Mafdet, she was regarded as a fierce protector of the home (and especially of children and royalty), largely because of cats’ renowned ability to kill snakes, scorpions, and other vermin. Her followers called her the “Eye of Ra,” the sun god, and believed that she fiercely watched the world and guarded Egypt against invasion.

As Egyptians truly domesticated their cats, making them valued family members rather than just semi-feral animals that stalked and protected their owner’s homes, Bastet’s image became a lot softer– she became a goddess of family, fertility, and love. Egyptians began regarding their cats as loving, important members of their families, and treated them with as much respect and dignity as their own children. Followers of the cult of Bastet would mummify their cats and mourn them in the same way they mourned human family members– and in much the same way we cat-lovers mourn our own furry family members today.

We tend to joke about how cats feel entitled to worship. Anyone who’s ever known a spoiled tomcat knows that cats have never forgotten the days when they were worshiped. The worship of cats in ancient Egypt was well-founded. Cats once saved lives by defending families from vermin. Without them, civilization as we know it might have never survived.

By Uwan samaranayake
Level 5 intermediate 1.

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The ancient Egypt’s domesticated animals very largely and these cats were represented in social and religious practices of ancient Egypt’s for 3,000 years. Cats were praised for killing other animal like snakes, and they protecting the paraghs since the first dynosty in Egypt. The protective function of cats in indicated in the book of the dead. Cat- shaped decorations use during the New Kingdom of Egypt. And the cat became more popular in day to day life. In 1888 when an Egyptian farmer was digging in the sand near Istabi Antar he found a mummy of a cat. Cat cemeteries at the orchaelogical sites Bubastis and Saqqara used for several centuries. They contained vast number of Egypt cat mummies in the museum collections worldwicle. In view of the huge number of cat mummies found in Egypt, the cat cult was very important to the economy, as it required breeding of cats and trading for the supply of food, oils and resins. Mafdet was the first known – cat headed in ancient Egypt. During the first dynasty, she was regarded as protector because she kill the animals such as, snakes, scorpions and evil. There were seals and stone vessels with her name. Indicating that she was named as protector since the 30th century BC during the fourth and fifth dynasties. And Saqqara shows a small cat with a collar, suggesting that African wild cats were kept in the pharaonic quarters in the 26th century BC.

By  Himeth Mayushka Serasinghe
Level 05 Intermediate 01

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Cats played important role in Ancient Egypt. From protectors of their grain, to pets, cats' influence on Egyptian life was unmistakable.  The popularity of Egyptian cats is reflected in the many Ancient Egyptian paintings and carved stone statues  in which they appear.

Cats and Egypt share a long and interesting history. Many cats experts believe that Ancient Egyptian were the first to domesticate cats. At first, it was a practical matter as cats were brought in to protect granaries and homes from pests like rats and cockroaches. Eventually though, Ancient Egyptians especially the wealthy - started to adopt cats and pets.

Paintings on tombs and other buildings show spotted, slender cats, which are believed to be the first domestic cats. It is believed that these early Egyptian cats were the ancestors of the Egyptian Mau. This breed is not as well known as other cat breeds

Whoever killed a cat in Ancient Egypt was put to death. Amazingly there were also laws banning the exportation of cats.

Ancient Egyptians loved cats and went into mourning whenever any of the family cats died. Cat cemeteries have been discovered along the River Nile and cat mummies can be found in the tombs of many Egyptians.

By Ashmitha Dulangi
Level 05 Intermediate 01

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Cats were  represented in social and religious practices of ancient Egypt for more than 3,000 years. Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them. For centuries, black cats symbolized bad luck. But in cultures like Egypt, black cats were representations of goddess Bastet.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Bastet was the protector of women and households, goddess of women's secrets, fertility, child birth, and cats. The daughter of Re, the sun god, Bastet was an ancient deity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             In Ancient Egypt black cats were known for keeping evil spirits away. A person caught killing a cat could face the death penalty. That famous Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, liked cats and what was Cleopatra's cats name? Tivali. The word for cat in Egyptian hieroglyphic writing was miu or mii. The cat culture continued for centuries, until 30 AD when Egypt became a part of the Roman empire. Several pagan rituals were banned by the Romans in the following centuries, thus cats worshipping and religion grew apart. Since then, the affection and significance for cats declined.

By Nimashi Sashikala

Level 05 Intermediate 01