Ancient Egypt was one of the first great civilizations on earth, born at the dawn of human history. And the ideas of the ancient Egyptians about the world around them were significantly different from the ideas of modern people. The ancient Egyptian pantheon consisted of a huge number of gods, who were most often depicted with a human body and an animal's head. 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 oldest animal cult, the bull was worshiped by the Egyptians. They considered a deity who 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 must have been black with special white markings.
Ancient Egypt: the harem of the sacred bull.
This bull lived in Memphis, in a special “sacred barn” at the temple. He was provided with such care, which many people could not even dream of dreaming about, fed and revered as a god, even kept a harem of cows for him. On Apis's birthday, holidays were organized, bulls were sacrificed to him. When Apis was dying, he was buried with honors and began to search for a new sacred bull.
2. Pet - hyena
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Before dwelling on dogs and cats, humanity experimented with the domestication of some rather strange animals. 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians kept hyenas as pets. The drawings left on the graves of the pharaohs show that they were used for hunting.
Ancient Egypt: pet - hyena.
However, the Egyptians did not have much love for them, they were often kept and fattened only for food. And yet, giggling hyenas as pets did not take root among the Egyptians, especially since there were many cats and dogs hanging around nearby, which turned out to be more suitable.
3. Cause of death - hippo
Pharaoh Menes lived around 3000 BC and left a great mark on Egyptian history. He managed to unite the warring kingdoms of Egypt, which he subsequently ruled for about 60 years. According to the ancient Egyptian historian Manetho, Menes died of wounds received while hunting a hippo. However, no further mention of this tragedy has survived. The only confirmation is a drawing on a stone depicting a king asking for life from a hippo.
Ancient Egypt: Cause of Death - Hippo.
Pharaoh Menes lived around 3000 BC and left a great mark on Egyptian history. He managed to unite the warring kingdoms of Egypt, which he subsequently ruled for about 60 years. According to the ancient Egyptian historian Manetho, Menes died of wounds received while hunting a hippo. However, no further mention of this tragedy has survived. The only confirmation is a drawing on a stone depicting a king asking for life from a hippo.
4. Sacred mongooses
The Egyptians adored mongooses and considered them to be one of the most sacred animals. They marveled at the bravery of these little fluffy animals, who bravely fought with huge cobras. The Egyptians installed bronze statues of mongooses, wore amulets with their images, and kept them as their favorite pets.
Ancient Egypt: sacred mongooses.
Some Egyptians were even buried with the mummified remains of their beloved mongoose. Mongoose even entered Egyptian mythology. According to one story, the sun god Ra turned into a mongoose to fight evil.
5. Killing a cat was punishable by death
In Egypt, the cat was considered a sacred animal, and for its murder, even involuntary, was supposed to be death. No exceptions were allowed. Once even the king of Egypt himself tried to save a Roman who accidentally killed a cat, but he failed. Even under the threat of war with Rome, the Egyptians lynched him and left his corpse on the street. One of the legends tells how cats became the reason that the Egyptians lost the war.
Ancient Egypt: killing a cat was punishable by death.
In 525 BC. the king of the Persians Cambyses, before the offensive, ordered his soldiers to catch the cats and attach them to their shields. The Egyptians, seeing the frightened cats, surrendered without a fight, because couldn't 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, at which everyone had to shave off their eyebrows.
Ancient Egypt: mourning for a cat.
The body of a dead cat was embalmed, scented and buried, placing mice, rats and milk in her grave for her later life. The burials of the cats were huge. In one of them, about 80,000 embalmed cats were found.
7. Hunting with cheetahs
Big cats such as lions were allowed to hunt. At the same time, the cheetah, by Egyptian standards, was considered a small, reasonably safe cat that could even be kept at home. Ordinary residents, of course, did not have cheetahs in the house, but kings, in particular Ramses II, had many tamed cheetahs, and even lions, in their palace, and he was not the only one. Drawings on ancient tombs often depict Egyptian kings on the hunt with tamed cheetahs.
Ancient Egypt: hunting with 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 hung with gold and jewels and was served by a group of priests.
Ancient Egypt: the city of the sacred crocodile.
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 the crocodile died, his body was wrapped in thin cloth, mummified and buried with great honors. After that, another crocodile was chosen as a sacred animal.
9. The origin of scarab beetles
The Egyptians believed that scarab beetles magically originated 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 scarabs rolling excrement into balls and hiding them in holes. But they did not see how the females subsequently lay their eggs in them, and therefore they believed that scarabs emerge from excrement in a miraculous way and endowed them with magical powers.
Ancient Egypt: the birth of scarab beetles.
10. War over love of hippos
The cause of one of the biggest wars in Egypt was the love of Pharaoh Sekenenra Tao II for hippos. He kept a whole pool of hippos in his palace. Egypt then consisted of several kingdoms. Once Pharaoh Apopi, the ruler of a stronger kingdom, ordered Sekenenre Tao II to get rid of the hippos, because they make a lot of noise and prevent him from sleeping.
Ancient Egypt: War Over Love for Hippos.
This, of course, was a mocking reason, since Apopi lived 750 km from the hippos. Sekenenra, who for a long time endured tyranny from Apopi, this time could not stand it and declared war on him. And although he himself died, the war was continued by his son and other pharaohs. And it ended with the unification of Egypt.
Based on materials: listverse.com