Egypt, mummies of cats and lions found in Saqqara. Also discovered 75 statues of cats and other animals

Exceptional discovery in the Bubastian necropolis in Saqqara, Egypt: an excavation conducted by a team of Egyptian archaeologists has in fact led to the discovery of a burial containing dozens of mummified animals and a collection of seventy-five wooden and bronze statues of cats (an animal sacred to the Egyptians), as well as wooden statues of various animals such as the bull of Bees, the mongoose, the ibis, the hawk, several stone scarabs, and the jackal of the god Anubis.

The mummified animals were found inside twenty-five wooden boxes decorated with hieroglyphics. They are mostly cats, but the remains of crocodile mummies were also found inside sarcophagi in the shape of the reptile, and there would also be five mummies of animals larger than cats, identified as mummies of five lion cubs (the probability, according to scientific studies that analyzed the bones, is 95 percent): this is a first (although, in the same necropolis, the skeleton of a lion had been discovered earlier). The findings also include amulets, reliefs, funerary masks, vases, and papyri decorated with drawings. The finds would date back to the reign of Pharaoh Psammeticus I, or between 664 and 610 B.C.E. (the ruler’s name appears in an inscription on a stone relief).

Egypt’s minister of antiquities, Khaled El-Enany, said this discovery “is a museum in itself: there are hundreds of objects.” Egyptologist Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the most surprising discovery is precisely that of the five probable lion cubs. For two of the five mummies, identification should be almost certain, while the other three will require more in-depth studies. However, said Minister El-Enany, “whether they are cheetahs, leopards, lionesses or panthers, it would still be a unique discovery.”

The discovery is of great importance not only because in Egypt they hope it will attract the curiosity of the many who already visit the country, but also and especially because it will provide clearer ideas about the Egyptians’ veneration of animals.

Egypt, mummies of cats and lions found in Saqqara. Also discovered 75 statues of cats and other animals

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.