The ancient Egyptians firmly believed that every animal is endowed with the greatest power, therefore, their attitude towards them was filled with respect and sacred awe - as to carefully kept relics. However, the Egyptian cat-goddess was considered the most revered animal.
The rise of the cat cult
Now it is difficult to explain the full depth of the worship of the cat, which is described by the Egyptian. If reduced to the simplest, then we can say that the people who lived at that time associated it with their home, love, marriage and, of course, a kind of protection from the devil.
The first hieroglyphs, meaning the words "cat" and "cat", are deciphered as "mint" and "miu", respectively. In Russian, the transcription of these words is similar to the usual “meow” for our hearing.
A lot of figurines and drawings of cats have been preserved. On many of them you can see how a scarab beetle is placed on the chest of a sacred animal. This is another symbol revered in Egypt, with which the concept of life was associated.
As told in documentary"Cats of Egypt: from deity to squalor", these animals were brought from Nubia. Before becoming ordinary domesticated animals, adored by people for their kindness, gentleness and grace, cats were protectors. They hunted small rodents and thus saved the provisions stored in barns. Cats are carriers of infection, such as plague, and this prevented epidemics.
When Egypt became a powerful state, the basis of its well-being was granaries. Filled to the top with wheat, they served as a guarantee of well-being. For four whole months, when the Nile flooded, one could not be afraid of hunger. To ensure the safety of grain, cats were required, ruthlessly exterminating rats and mice.
Thus began the deification of these animals as creatures embodying specific gods in their images. Is it for this reason that the supreme god of the sun Ra was called the “great cat”? The cat-god Ra defeated the snake of darkness - Apep, and often the supreme god was depicted in the form of an animal holding a knife with one paw, and pressing the snake's head with the other.
Increasing under the influence of light cat pupils the Egyptians associated with the movement of the god of cats Ra on a chariot along the heavenly rivers, and the animal's eyes burning in the dark with the sign of a fiery chariot. When the sun rises - the cat's eyes become smaller, when it goes down - they increase.
The Egyptians compared the organ of vision of this unique animal with two reduced suns. For people, they were mystical windows to another world, access to which mere mortals did not have.
In the days of Ancient Egypt, cats were considered aliens from the afterlife, so the dwelling in which this animal lived would never be disturbed by a dark entity. Why? Because cats feel them and see them even in the dark, they will never let anyone into the house that they protect from the devil.
Pay attention to how the Egyptian sphinx seems to freeze and gaze at one point, perhaps at this moment he is in contact with someone who came from a world invisible to man.
Goddess Bastet and her sacred black cats
The most significant in Ancient Egypt There was a cult of the cat-goddess Bastet, which lasted until 1 BC. e.
We are so used to our furry pet who will always come up and comfort us if we feel sad, who will purr loudly, curled up in a ball on our knees and buried her cold wet nose in our hand. Of course, a cat is the most gentle and at the same time freedom-loving and rebellious pet.
For example, it’s not easy to put your cat in a purse and drag it all day around the city and through animal boutiques, not like small dogs. And there’s no reason to carry them around, because they are hunters and like to lie in the shade, watching for birds, and then, seeing the mistress, beg for “Kitekat”.
They are so playful that they have already unwound all the grandmother's balls around the apartment and have conquered Everest several times, climbing onto the curtains. Perhaps cats are a lot of trouble: damaged furniture, hair all over the house - but how can you reproach this fluffy, because a cat is a sacred animal.
Everyone, however, knows about this, even the smallest children, although people often do not take this fact into account. Let's just restore justice and find out why this animal with pink pads on its paws received this high title.
The meaning of the cat in the culture of the ancient Egyptians
It all started in Egypt. There are many legends that explain holiness by an elementary economic factor: they say that ermines did not know how to catch mice, and the grain crop deteriorated due to rodents, and then she comes, Mademoiselle Cat, who copes with pests at once, saves the Egyptians from hunger, which means instantly rises to heaven, that is, to the pharaoh and the queen.
But not only because of this, the cat became a Cat and acquired immunity. The priests, who were revered in Egypt no less than the dynasty of the pharaoh, saw a karmic mission in the cat: delivering the house and family in which the animal lives from adversity and stagnant bad energy.
It was also believed that a cat is the embodiment of a deceased person, usually the mistress.
Why else were these animals revered, considering them sacred creatures?
- The gracefulness of these animals, their ability to appear and disappear almost imperceptibly and silently caused admiration;
- Fertility and the ability to care for offspring also became their invaluable advantage;
- Cleanliness and independent character distinguished cats from other animals.
For all these merits, cats were given special honor: they were fed best food, looked after them, never offended. Wealthy Egyptians after death pet his body was embalmed and buried in cemeteries designed specifically for cats. Both rats and mice were embalmed with them to accompany them on afterlife.
The energy potential of the animal
Egypt died down, and the mystical meaning and influence of cats is still one of the mysterious pages in the study of animal psychology. Speaking of reincarnation, indeed, a cat is able to absorb a certain matrix and energy of a deceased person, thereby cleansing the house. But, in addition, the animal is able to resemble living owners, which is also explained by the energy, the flows of which are captured by the pet.
Often a cat is able to see the spirit of a dead person when people do not have such abilities. There are many cases when a cat froze in the doorway, looked into the room and meowed loudly, looking somewhere in the air. And in all cases it was in those houses where a person had recently died.
- In the East, the role of cats is significant: in China, they are considered a kind of symbol of motherhood, and also a guardian of culture. Until now, the inhabitants of this country believe in the ability of the animal to scare away evil spirits. The Chinese believe that if you go around the sown field with a cat in your arms, the harvest will certainly be plentiful;
- In Japan, almost complete absence rats and mice are associated precisely with the magical influence that not only living cats have, but also their figurines and images;
- It is noteworthy that in ancient times, the Japanese awarded a person who became famous in any field with the title of Master Cat. This once again underlines the reverence for the glorious fluffy pet. In modern Japan, Cat Day is celebrated annually, which is a national holiday. This happens on February 22, because three deuces in a row in Japanese(22.02) sound like a cat's meow;
- In America, they believe that a stray black cat that you shelter will bring happiness to the house. They are considered messengers of good luck, despite all the prejudices associated with black cats.
- In Slavic culture, the cat is still considered the keeper of the family hearth. In addition, the behavior of cats often predict weather changes. For example, if you notice that the animal is thoroughly washing its ears, then you can wait for rain. If the cat rushes around the house, jumps and scratches objects, you should expect a strong wind. When a cat is in a playful mood, rolling on the ground is a sure sign that a downpour is about to begin.
And the evil spirits are afraid of cats. That is why when moving to new house crosses the first threshold fluffy pet, who, with his throne procession through the new apartments, casts out evil spirits and bad energy. There are enough mystics in stories when ghosts literally attacked the animal, trying to kill it. That is, a cat is a lightning rod for strong evil spirits - evil spirits focus on a pet and do not touch a person. Although scary cases are certainly rare. In ordinary life, the furry just cleans our house and scares the bad aliens from the parallel world.
There are cases when a cat died instead of the owner, adopting in some way the fate of fate. This was also practiced in Egypt, only there for the pharaoh, of course. died, having agreed to death and having accepted a special rite.
Not uncommon and warnings from cats, when more sensitive animals can predict cataclysms or natural disasters. By the way, they not only save the owners from natural disasters, but also from people. So, for example, there was a case when a cat scratched thieves who threatened the female owner of the animal. The seasoned pet tore the intruders' clothes to shreds and drove the criminals along the road away from their home for a long time.
Of course, these are not all unique stories, to say nothing of the fact that we are still afraid of black cats at the subconscious level and clutch at a button. In general, the Egyptians are wise people, and it was certainly not for nothing that they assigned the status of a sacred animal to a harmless fluffy animal. And the cases described above only confirm this, although, of course, this is not all about cats.
In any case, a cat wants to protect and intercede for the owner only when she loves her breadwinner, so the cat needs to be groomed and cherished and, of course, respected and adored. Then the pink pads will hide the claws and reciprocate.
After the death of Alexander the Great, the Greek dynasty reigned in Egypt. The country was delivered from the yoke of the Persians and, finally, began to live a peaceful and calm life. But suddenly, breaking all political predictions, there was a bloody uprising in the former capital - the city of Memphis. The angry Egyptians completely demolished the Greek quarter that was in the city, killing some of its inhabitants and dispersing the rest. The reason for the uprising was that one of the Greeks made a terrible crime, chilling the soul of every orthodox Egyptian - he drowned newborn kittens.
1:15681:9
In Egypt, cats had a special relationship. These animals were highly valued - and for good reason.
1:171 1:181
Cats appeared in this country around 2000 BC and were declared sacred almost immediately. Of course, there was also an economic factor at work here: Egypt was a country specializing in the production of grain crops. Someone had to guard huge warehouses with the richest grain reserves. Initially, they tried to adapt ermines to this work, but small animals did not cope well with such a difficult job. The task was only up to the cats that appeared later.
2:16292:9
In the ancient world there was only one reliable way to provide an animal with immunity - to declare it sacred. But it seems that this is not the only reason that forced the Egyptians to solve the problem in this way.
3:912Among the occultists Egyptian priests have always been considered a chosen caste, best in the world versed in magic. This belief has been known since ancient times; medieval authors wrote that of all the magical arts that ever existed, 90% fell to the lot of Egypt.
3:1413 3:1423From the point of view of the priests, a cat living in a family also performed the task of karmic unloading of the clan, contributed to its well-being. Until now, it is generally accepted that a kitten thrown by someone on the street will surely bring good luck to the house. Moreover, it was believed that the cat appears in the house is not accidental.
3:1992According to the Egyptians, the soul of a recently deceased person close to home was embodied in her. Most often - the deceased mistress.
3:221 3:231
There was one famous case when a real cat invasion began in one apartment. Homeless animals have chosen not just an entrance for their living, but a rug under the doors of the apartment. What could be done with them? I had to let it in, and then give it to friends. So over the course of three years, more than a dozen cats have changed, and, strangely, they all resembled one of the well-known people. Taking a closer look at them, it turned out that in the behavior of almost every cat or cat, character traits are manifested that are inherent in family members who once died. The similarity was so clear that the thought arose: maybe the dead are really returning to the house, now in cat form?
4:2018However, over time, the issue was resolved differently. The last cat that appeared in the house was not like anyone who had lived in it before. It seemed that the pattern was broken. However, looking at him more closely, it turned out - he looks like the narrator himself!
4:510 4:520
The solution to the phenomenon turned out to be quite simple - these animals simply absorb the mental matrix of the one who once lived in the house, thus clearing the energy atmosphere in the apartment from the karmic accumulations of the people who lived here. The mental matrix is inherently a schema that binds a person. It is she who regulates how he should feel, think and act. Not only is it the cause of almost all existing diseases, but it also tells us how we should respond in different situations and what actions to take. Indeed, in real life we often react automatically - not intelligently, but in the way our matrix and the matrices of our ancestors prescribe us. This happens even when the things we do can lead to trouble.
5:25365:9
The influence of matrices is destroyed by cats, absorbing negative information. When there is too much such information, the cat, of course, dies, but manages to cleanse its owner. It is on this dependence that the belief that cats have a healing effect on a person is based. The value of a cat is really great, it is not for nothing that a cat is a sacred animal.
5:654 5:664The above is just a part positive impact cats. There are other factors as well. So, one woman changed four cats in the house in two years. All of them died under various circumstances. Interested in why her favorites were dying, she turned to the seer. During the session, the chain of trance visions developed in this way: on the line of her husband's fate there were signs that meant death, destined from an accident . All these troubles were taken over by cats, dying instead of the owner.
5:16045:9
Such a phenomenon is nothing new. Even in the ancient world, there was a tradition according to which the death of a dying king could voluntarily be taken over by one of his close associates. It often happened that the person who gave such consent actually died, and the king recovered. In this case, the cats took on the role of the victim, dying instead of the owner.
6:1164 6:1174Exists folk omen: if the cat does not get along in the house, then you should purchase an animal of a different suit. Thus, with the same positive impact the cat will be much less exposed to its owner. If the owner treats his pet tactfully, then the cat always remains loyal to him and often helps out of big troubles.
6:18096:9
There is a case that happened at one time in England. The woman worked as a nurse in the hospital. One day, when she returned home after work, she was suddenly seized by thieves operating in the apartment. I did not tolerate such treatment with the hostess domestic cat- quite a massive animal. A few minutes later, both crooks ran out of the house with their clothes torn to shreds and badly scratched. The angry cat chased them for a whole kilometer.
7:1315 7:1325Not less than interesting story said a woman living in a village near St. Petersburg:
7:1488“I somehow climbed into the attic for hay, threw down an armful and went for another. Bypassing the manhole, she stepped on something, lost her balance and flew straight down with her back. There was nothing to grab onto. It’s not scary to fall on the hay with your back, but below there were mounted implements for a tractor and a walk-behind tractor. Most likely, I would have smashed my head on this pile of iron. I realized all the consequences already sitting on the floor, in the hay. And when she flew back into the hole, she did not have time to think. But at some point, on the edge of the hole, the eyes of my cat Bagheera flashed. She abruptly rushed forward, and her sharp claws dug into the sleeve of the padded jacket. For a fraction of a second, Bagheera managed to stop my fall, but that was enough to change its direction. Heavy boots went down, I landed safely on my feet in soft hay with a cat on my sleeve. After Bagheera she limped for a long time, her claws were not removed. Now she is in perfect order, slender, lean, black with a shiny coat.
7:3164 7:9Cats often show a sense of foresight. They seem to feel what a misfortune threatens their owner, and, if possible, they try to “lay straws”. Of course, more often this happens if the owner suits them. In the end, the owner himself determines the form of relationship with his animals.
7:579 7:589
Cats have one more property: they interfere with vampires. According to ancient Egyptian legends, vampires die from cat scratches. In reality, of course, this is not the case, but nevertheless, cats have the ability to resist vampirism in any form. Often there are people who pathologically cannot tolerate these animals and feel a sense of hatred for them. Recalling the mentioned feline ability, I want to ask: why would it?
8:19558:9
Cats do not like evil spirits. One of the women living in the village said that in her house periodically there were strange cases poltergeist. At the same time, some unknown force suddenly lifted a cat sleeping quietly on a Russian stove up, and then beat it on the floor with all its might, killing it to death. She claimed that the brownie does not like cats, but most likely it was a much more powerful and negative demonic force. Apparently, the cats living in the house largely prevented this power from exerting its influence on people.
8:1003Curiously, this family was considered unclean in the village. There were many black witches in it, and the narrator herself, after some time, died a very difficult death, characteristic, as you know, of black sorcerers. Later, her relatives reported that not only did cats not take root in their house, but no plants grew either. What was happening in the village was a poltergeist, initiated by the unconscious abilities of a born exterminator.
8:17898:9
The ancient Egyptians had a much deeper knowledge of the magical arts than modern people. Naturally, they knew much more about the occult influence of cats. This knowledge allowed them to consider the cat a sacred animal. But even with the knowledge that we have, we can confidently say that such an attitude towards these pets has enough grounds.
9:1266 9:1276
Ancient Egypt was one of the first great civilizations on earth, beginning at the dawn of human history. And the ideas of the ancient Egyptians about the world around us were significantly different from the ideas modern people. The ancient Egyptian pantheon consisted of a huge number of gods, who were most often depicted with human body and the head of an animal. Therefore, the Egyptians treated animals with great respect, the worship of animals was elevated to a cult.
1. Harem of the sacred bull
As part of the ancient cult of animals, the Egyptians revered the bull. They considered a deity descended to earth. Of all the bulls, according to special signs, one was chosen, which later played the role of a sacred bull named Apis. It had to be black with special white markings.
This bull lived in Memphis, in a special "sacred barn" at the temple. He was provided with such care that many people could not even dream of dreaming about, fed and revered like a god, even kept a harem of cows for him. On the birthday of Apis, holidays were held, bulls were sacrificed to him. When Apis died, he was buried with honors and began to search for a new sacred bull.
2. Pet - hyena
Before settling on dogs and cats, mankind experimented with the domestication of some rather strange animals. 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians kept hyenas as pets. The drawings left on the tombs of the pharaohs show that they were used for hunting.
However, the Egyptians did not feel much love for them, often they were kept and fattened only for food. Yet giggling hyenas as pets did not take root among the Egyptians, especially since many cats and dogs loitered nearby, which turned out to be more suitable.
3 Cause Of Death - Hippo
Pharaoh Menes lived around 3000 BC and left a big mark on Egyptian history. He managed to unite the warring kingdoms of Egypt, which he later ruled for about 60 years. According to the ancient Egyptian historian Manetho, Menes died from wounds received while hunting for a hippopotamus. However, no further mention of this tragedy has survived. The only confirmation can be a drawing on a stone depicting a king asking for life from a hippopotamus.
4. Sacred mongooses
The Egyptians adored mongooses and considered them one of the most sacred animals. They marveled at the courage of these small furry animals, who bravely fought with huge cobras. The Egyptians erected bronze statues of mongooses, wore amulets with their images, and kept them as beloved pets.
Some Egyptians were even buried with the mummified remains of their beloved mongooses. The mongooses even entered Egyptian mythology. According to one of the stories, the sun god Ra turned into a mongoose to fight evil.
5. Killing a cat was punishable by death.
In Egypt, a cat was considered a sacred animal, and for her murder, even involuntarily, death was supposed. No exceptions were allowed. Once, even the king of Egypt himself tried to save a Roman who accidentally killed a cat, but he did not succeed. Even under the threat of war with Rome, the Egyptians lynched him and left the corpse in the street. One of the legends tells how cats caused the Egyptians to lose the war.
In 525 BC The king of the Persians Cambyses, before the offensive, ordered his soldiers to catch cats and attach them to shields. The Egyptians, seeing the frightened cats, surrendered without a fight, because. could not hurt their sacred animals.
6. Mourning for a cat
The death of a cat for the Egyptians was a tragedy, no less than the loss of a family member. On this occasion, mourning was declared in the family, during which everyone had to shave off their eyebrows.
Body dead cat embalmed, perfumed and buried, placing mice, rats and milk in her grave for her later afterlife. The cat burials were huge. In one of them, about 80,000 embalmed cats were found.
7. Hunting with cheetahs
On the big cats, such as lions, were allowed to hunt. At the same time, the cheetah, by Egyptian standards, was considered small enough safe cat, which could be kept even at home. Ordinary residents, of course, did not have cheetahs in their homes, but kings, in particular Ramses II, had many tamed cheetahs in their palace, and even lions, and he was not the only one. Drawings on ancient tombs often depict Egyptian kings hunting with tamed cheetahs.
8. City of the sacred crocodile
The Egyptian city of Crocodilopolis was the religious center of a cult dedicated to the god Sobek, depicted as a man with the head of a crocodile. In this city the Egyptians kept a sacred crocodile. People from all over came to see him. The crocodile was adorned with gold and jewels and served by a group of priests.
People brought food as gifts, and the priests, opening the crocodile's mouth, forced him to eat it. They even poured wine into his open mouth. When a crocodile died, its body was wrapped in a thin cloth, mummified and buried with great honors. After that, another crocodile was chosen as a sacred animal.
9. The birth of scarab beetles
The Egyptians believed that scarab beetles were magically born in excrement. The Egyptians believed that scarab beetles had magical powers. And all of them, from the rich to the poor, wore these beetles as amulets. The Egyptians saw how scarabs roll excrement into balls and hide them in holes. But they did not see how later the females lay their eggs in them, and therefore they believed that the scarabs miraculously appeared from the excrement and endowed them with magical powers.
10. War over the love of hippos
The reason for one of the most big wars Egypt was the love of Pharaoh Seqenenre Tao II for hippos. He kept a pool of hippos in his palace. Egypt then consisted of several kingdoms. One day, Pharaoh Apopi, the ruler of a stronger kingdom, ordered Seqenenre Tao II to get rid of the hippos, because they make a lot of noise and interfere with his sleep.
This, of course, was a mocking reason, since Apopee lived 750 km from the hippos. Sekenenra, long time who endured tyranny from Apopi, this time could not stand it and declared war on him. And although he himself died, his son and other pharaohs continued the war. And it ended with the unification of Egypt.
Source: listverse.com
The most incredible discoveries are also connected with Ancient Egypt. So, recently it became known that.
Cats of Ancient Egypt became famous all over the world thanks to the respectful attitude of the Egyptians to these delightful animals. They endowed them with positive human qualities. It was believed that cats possess and they know what secrets are kept in the other world. Cats became witnesses of religious ceremonies. They protected their owners and houses from evil spirits. Nowhere and never, in no country ancient world, the cat was not revered as in ancient Egypt. Truly, this was a golden age in the history of the cat, a time of worship and deification. The cult of the cat in ancient Egypt appeared in one of the most early periods ancient Egyptian history. Mentions of the divinity of cats are found even during the Second Dynasty of the ancient kingdoms. Cats continued to be revered for a very, very long time.
CULT BASTET
A little later, after the unification of upper lower Egypt under the rule of one king, a very significant and influential cult of the cat goddess Bastet (Bast), who was also considered the personification of sunlight and moonlight, was formed. The goddess was depicted as a woman with a cat's head and she was part of the "sacred nine" (the nine supreme gods of Egypt). Resembling the light of the sun and moon, the regal Bast was endowed with the power to open the dawn of a new day. Sacred texts-prayers were carved on the obelisks and bases of statues of the goddess: “I am a cat, mother of life. She can bestow life and strength, all health and joy of the heart.”
It was Bast who was considered the protector of the children of the pharaoh, the force that sent food to the kings, and all women - children. She was honored as the patroness of pregnant women and those giving birth. Scientists believe that the priests came up with this idea by observing cats that often and easily kittens, and then become caring mothers. The Egyptians believed that the goddess protected children from diseases and scorpion stings, so the kids wore amulets with the image of Bastet or even appropriate tattoos. Cats were so revered that during a fire, the Egyptian first rescued the purr from the burning building, and only then began to extinguish the fire.
Bast was depicted in stone, bronze and gold: she was captured in the form of either a cat or a girl with a cat's head and with a sistrum ( musical instrument), and at her feet were four kittens.
There is a myth about how the god Ra, wanting to help people, sent his daughter to earth. She took the form of the lioness Sekhmed and, mad with blood, began to exterminate the human race. Then the god Onuris went to the trick: he poured beer tinted red on the ground. The lioness thought it was blood and began to lap. She got drunk and fell asleep. Then Onuris turned the bloodthirsty lioness into a fluffy purr. So, in addition to the feline essence, Bast possessed a lion, transforming into a cruel Sekhmed. Thus, probably, the Egyptians wanted to express the duality of the cat's nature: affectionate purr and insidious predator.
The religious center of worship of the cat goddess was the city of Bubastis, near the Nile Delta. According to the descriptions of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, there was the most beautiful temple in Egypt, dedicated to Bast. And in temple complex Saqqara, not far from the step pyramid of Djoserra, the main sanctuary of the temple of Bast was erected in her honor. There stood a huge statue of the goddess, carved from expensive Aswan marble. During the annual religious festivities, the statue was taken out of the temple and solemnly transported on a boat along the banks of the Nile.
In such deification, the admiration of the Egyptians for the cleanliness of the cat, her concern for kittens was manifested. In addition, mysterious night image life, glowing eyes in the darkness and an incredible ability to instantly and silently disappear and appear, silently stepping with soft paws. All this caused surprise, mixed with fear. Perhaps the cat won respect for its freedom-loving nature and independence. Although she lives next to a person, at the same time she walks by herself and enters into another, other world. The temple cats lived in clover, eating the most the best food. Especially for them, fish were bred in the ponds, and assigned slaves day and night guarded and looked after tailed goddesses. They were served by their priests, worshiped by numerous admirers. Looking after a cat was considered a matter of honor and especially respected. The priests of Bast carefully followed every movement of the temple cat in order to interpret the signs that the goddess gives through her earthly incarnation in this way.
The cult of Bast lasted until the 4th century AD. Historians associate the rise of this deity and, accordingly, the belittling of the role of Isis with political changes in Egypt. During this period, the central power moved from Upper Egypt to Lower Egypt, to the new capital of Per-Bast (the house of Bast). In this city, a magnificent temple of the goddess was built, where pilgrims from all over the country flocked.
Temple cats lived in clover, eating the best food. Especially for them, fish were bred in the ponds, and assigned slaves guarded and looked after the tailed goddesses day and night. They were served by their priests, worshiped by numerous admirers. Looking after a cat was considered a matter of honor and especially respected. The priests of Bast carefully followed every movement of the temple cat in order to interpret the signs that the goddess gives through her earthly incarnation in this way.
CAT CULT IN ANCIENT EGYPT
The cult of the Bastet cat also has economic prerequisites. After all, Egypt is an agricultural country. The Egyptians were highly dependent on the crop and its safety, and it was often exterminated by hordes of rodents. But, according to experts, one cat hunting mice saves up to ten tons of grain from them a year. Crop protector cats were essential to the survival of the nation.
And they also destroyed vipers, of which there were a lot in ancient Egypt. Horned vipers are common there - poisonous snakes with a pair of fangs, with which they are able to inject poison into the victim when they bite. Viper venom can be very dangerous to humans and even fatal.
Surprisingly, the Egyptians used cats as hunting animals, as dogs are often used today. Cats accompanied their owners to bird hunting or fishing.
The Egyptians held cats in high esteem. For example, at every temple where cats lived, there was a person who performed an honorary position - “guardian of cats”. This position was hereditary.
DEATH OF CATS IN ANCIENT EGYPT
Almost every family of ordinary Egyptians had a cat at home. She was looked after as the most precious creature. If, God forbid, a fire started in the house, the cats were taken out of the fire in the first place, before the children.
For killing a cat, even unintentionally, a person could pay with his life. So, for example, the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus described the case of a Roman who accidentally ran over a cat in a chariot and was immediately killed for this by angry Egyptians.
Cat worship once failed the Egyptians. According to the historian Ptolemy, in 525 BC. e. cats decisively influenced the outcome of the siege of the border city of Pelusium by the troops of the Persian king Cambyses II. The Persians did not know how to storm the fortified cities and were forced to stop at the walls of the city. But, Persian king Cambyses was well aware of the influence the cat had on the Egyptians. An order was given to find cats in the district and tie them to the shields of the warriors in front, so that it was clearly visible. (according to another version, the cats were simply painted by soldiers on their shields). When the Persian army moved forward, protected by shields with tied cats, the pharaoh did not dare to turn arrows and spears into enemies, fearing to kill the cats. There was confusion and confusion. The fight was lost. However, cats in Egypt did not lose their position as a god until the conquest of the country by the Greeks, and a little later by the Romans.
If a cat died in the house, then her funeral was held with great honors, the whole family plunged into mourning, which lasted 70 days. Family members, grieving for her loss, put on mourning clothes, sang funeral songs and shaved their heads and eyebrows as a sign of mourning. The dead cats were wrapped in linen, anointed with fragrant oils and mummified using a balm. Only then, according to the beliefs and ideas about the afterlife, the soul of their beloved will be reborn in a new body after death. In order for cats to feel good in the afterlife, toys that she loved during her lifetime, and even mummies of mice, were placed in her grave. The cats of the rich were wrapped in woven linen with patterns and sacred texts, and a golden mask was put on their heads. The mummy was placed in a wooden or limestone sarcophagus, sometimes decorated with gold. Even kittens were buried in small bronze boxes.
Many cat mummies have come down to us, so we know what ancient Egyptian cats looked like. They were of medium size, reddish solid color, very thin, similar to modern representatives of the Abyssinian breed.
In the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Great Matu is depicted - a light cat that saves people from the serpent Apep. Probably, cats were revered in a double guise: as the cat-goddess Bastet (female hypostasis), and as a cat-light (male).
HOW CATS GOT OUTSIDE EGYPT
The cult of cats in ancient Egypt existed for many centuries. The Egyptians prevented the spread of cats outside the country. All Egyptian purrs, from the point of view of the law, were the property of the pharaoh. Therefore, to take a cat out of the country meant to steal the property of the pharaoh and was the gravest crime deserved. death penalty. When the Egyptians went on campaigns or equipped trading caravans and found domestic cats in other lands, they bought or stole them to bring them back.
However, cats did get to Europe: they were stolen and secretly taken out by cunning Phoenician merchants who traded with Egypt. They understood that for such a rare product, you can get a very high price. Cats, apparently, came to Greece half a millennium BC. But in Italy and Switzerland, purrs became known only in the II or III century after the birth of Christ. Much earlier, murks appeared in India, Thailand and China. But these animals became widespread not earlier than the second millennium of our era.
