Background Information - Animals in Ancient Egypt

Page contents

• Wild animals
• Agricultural animals
• Pet animals

Wild animals

Lions were regarded as symbolic and religious icons to the Ancient Egyptians. It is suggested that the connection between the king and the lion stemmed from the hunting of these animals by the royal families. Lions were considered the guardians of the eastern and western horizons, the places of sunrise and sunset.

Male hippopotami were regarded as evil in Ancient Egypt because they often trampled and devoured agricultural crops. Many hippopotamus hunts were organised, male hippopotamus being the primary target. Female hippopotamus however, were regarded as beneficial and became associated with fertility and the regenerative effect of the Nile inundation.

The Nile crocodile was regarded with some trepidation by the Ancient Egyptians as it would occasionally take users of the water, both animal and human.

Scarab (dung) beetles were held in high regard by the Ancient Egyptians. These recyclers of animal waste were revered as the god Khepri. Like the beetles that rolled balls of dung about, Khepri was thought to roll the sun across the sky from the eastern horizon to the west and represented rebirth.

Agricultural animals

Evidence suggests that the Ancient Egyptians were keeping and breeding animals 6000 years before the present (BP). The most common domestic animals in Ancient Egypt included:

• cattle used for meat and milk, as draught animals and at threshing time
• sheep used for meat, milk, hides and wool, although in early Ancient Egypt garments were not usually made of wool as it was thought to be unclean
• goats used for meat, milk, wool and hides. They were probably more popular than sheep as they could graze poorer quality pasture on the margins of the fertile Nile valley
• pigs used for meat
• donkeys used as pack animals and at threshing time
• fowl used for meat and feathers. The principal domesticated fowl included: ducks, geese and pigeons

There is little evidence of domesticated horses and single humped camels (dromedaries) until later in Ancient Egypt. Archaeological evidence suggests that horses were introduced about 4500 BP while camels were introduced about 3000 BP. Horses were often status symbols and were used in chariot racing, hunting and for military purposes, whereas camels mostly used as pack animals.

Pet animals

Like us, Ancient Egyptians kept pet animals. Evidence suggests that Ancient Egyptians kept dogs, cats and birds as pets and enjoyed them for their beauty, companionship and usefulness. Cats held a special place in the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Records show that cats were kept as pets as early as 4100 BP. Graceful, green-eyed cats that leaped and purred around ancient Egyptian homes were a lot like the pet 'moggies' we keep today.

On a practical level cats were important to Ancient Egyptian householders because of their natural hunting abilities. They were used to hunt and destroy rats and mice that ate and spoiled stored grain. This not only ensured that there was enough food for people to eat but also meant that there was sufficient grain to barter for other goods and services.

Over time cats became objects of worship and were treated almost like gods. Killing a cat became punishable by death and if a house caught fire, the first priory of the householder was to rescue the cat. When a household cat died its owners went into deep mourning and shaved their eyebrows as a mark of respect. (Shaving was seen as a way of cleansing the spirit. Ancient Egyptian priests and priestesses are often depicted with shaved heads).

The veneration of the cat continued after its death. Cat cemeteries were found throughout Egypt, containing hundreds of thousands of cat corpses. All the corpses had been mummified. Some mummified cats have been found in highly decorative sarcophagi, often with cat faces painted on them.

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