Another startling discovery nearly 2,000 years old in ancient Egypt

Archaeologists in Egypt discovered the oldest pet cemetery on record – a nearly 2,000-year-old burial site filled with countless beloved animals.

Egyptian archaeologists discovered the body of a cat wearing a bronze collar. Photo: Marta Osypińska/Polish Academy of Sciences

Ancient Egyptians were known for mummifying countless animals to honor the gods, but this cemetery located on the outskirts of the Red Sea port of Berenice is different – Live Science quoted Ms. Marta Osypińska – archaeologist. archeology at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw – said.

Unlike some animal mummies buried at other sites – sometimes starving or having broken necks – none of the creatures in this cemetery show signs that they died at the hands of humans. .

The dogs were buried in porcelain vases. Photo: Marta Osypińska/Polish Academy of Sciences

Instead, “we have old, sick and deformed animals that must be fed and cared for. We have animals (almost all) that are buried very carefully. The animals are placed in a sleeping position – sometimes wrapped in a blanket, sometimes covered with dishes” – Ms. Osypińska said.

In one case, a macaque monkey was buried with three kittens, a basket of grass, fabric, and two beautiful Indian Ocean seashells stacked on top. “So we think that in Berenice, animals are not sacrifices to the gods, but just pets” – Ms. Osypińska added.

Archaeologists have stumbled upon a livestock cemetery dating back to the first and second centuries AD during early Roman Egypt . For years, researchers have been excavating the outskirts of Berenice because it is home to a landfill of ancient Egyptian society. In 2011, archaeologists began finding the skeletons of small animals, so they turned to Osypińska because of her expertise in archaeology.

Archaeologists excavated the pet cemetery. Photo: Marta Osypińska/Polish Academy of Sciences

It turned out to be dozens of cat skeletons. In fact, of the 585 animals that archaeologists unearthed, there were 536 cats, 32 dogs, 15 monkeys, one fox and one falcon. None of the animals were mummified, but some were placed in “makeshift coffins”. For example, a large dog “was wrapped in a palm leaf mat and someone carefully placed the two halves of an amphora on it like a coffin,” Ms. Osypińska said.

Skeleton of a crippled cat. Photo: Marta Osypińska/Polish Academy of Sciences

According to other clues, these animals are pets. Many cats wear collars made of iron or beaded collars that are “sometimes very precious and unique”.

Many scholars believe that the ancient world did not have the concept of “pets”, but “our discovery shows that we humans have a need to be friends with animals” – Ms. Osypińska said.