Mummy of cat
Period: Late Period–Roman Period
Date: ca. 400 B.C.–100 A.D.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Linen, ink, animal remains
Dimensions: l. 34 cm (13 3/8 in)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson, 1915
Accession Number: 15.6.50
Sacred animals had always figured in ancient Egyptian religion, but beginning about the 7th century the phenomenon of sacred animal cults burgeoned remarkably. In some temples a single sacred animal acted as the living incarnation of a god, in others living species were kept within the temple precincts, and there were also temples and sanctuaries attached to the burial places of sacred animals.
Most of the animal mummies in museums today are from among the hundreds of thousands or more made for sale to those wishing to make donations in connection with regular festivals or perhaps to address themselves to a particular god for a purpose suchas dream interpretation or a wish for fertility or for a better eternal life.
Research on animal mummies has shown that the majority of mummies found at the large animal cemetery sites are pre-adults who were purposely killed for use as donations. Some of the mummies are actually ‘substitute’ mummies containing only a few bones or feathers or possibly just sticks or sand.
Recently a review of the museum's animal mummies and their x-rays was conducted in consultation with an expert in their study, and brought to light a number of interesting points.This mummy is wrapped in a checkerboard pattern created by two slightly different shades of beige linen; inside the bundle is a perfectly preserved skeleton of a cat just reaching maturity, whose neck had been broken.
Most of the animal mummies in museums today are from among the hundreds of thousands or more made for sale to those wishing to make donations in connection with regular festivals or perhaps to address themselves to a particular god for a purpose suchas dream interpretation or a wish for fertility or for a better eternal life.
Research on animal mummies has shown that the majority of mummies found at the large animal cemetery sites are pre-adults who were purposely killed for use as donations. Some of the mummies are actually ‘substitute’ mummies containing only a few bones or feathers or possibly just sticks or sand.
Recently a review of the museum's animal mummies and their x-rays was conducted in consultation with an expert in their study, and brought to light a number of interesting points.This mummy is wrapped in a checkerboard pattern created by two slightly different shades of beige linen; inside the bundle is a perfectly preserved skeleton of a cat just reaching maturity, whose neck had been broken.
Metropolitan Museum
metmuseum.org
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