Did you know that ancient Egyptians mummified animals?

Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead because they believed the soul lived inside the body even after death.  To keep the spirit in one piece,  they carefully preserved bodies. After a complicated process of drying and wrapping, the mummy was ready for the afterlife. 



What do you think of when you think about mummies? King Tut? Egyptian royalty? Did you know that humans weren’t the only ones to be mummified? Ancient Egyptians mummified animals! In fact, not only did animal mummies exist, their production made for a thriving business in ancient Egypt.

Though pets might’ve been placed in tombs with their people, spending eternity with your beloved pup wasn’t very common. Egyptians purchased animal mummies to present to different gods, to make sure people were comfortable both in this world and the afterlife. Learn more in the next slide!

Different kinds of animals had unique and sacred associations with deities, and people of all social classes bought animal mummies. Look at these three cat mummies: the smallest one, is what scientists call “an elaborate fake". It actually doesn’t have an animal inside of it at all. This was the cheaper version of an offering to the goddess Bastet, who is represented as both a fierce lioness and then a more housecat-like animal in later pictures. Though not the highest-end offering, this fake cat mummy was one that the goddess would still accept.

CT scans (similar to an x-ray) showed that this mummy is a species of North African gazelle (Gazella dorcas). Mummies like this one would’ve been offered to the goddess Anuket, who represented the Nile River and was sometimes depicted as a gazelle. It was important to honor Anuket to make sure that Egyptians got plenty of water for their grain. 

This complex, linen-wrapped mummy has a tiny Nile crocodile inside! CT scanning showed that the crocodile inside is even smaller than the mummy. It's only six inches long! Adult Nile crocodiles can grow to 15 feet or more and were thought of as dangerous among Egyptians. The crocodile was sacred and associated with the god Sobek. It was meant to give humans protection.

Standards for Mummification