Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered what they believe to be the oldest known animal cemetery in the world.
Nearly 600 cats, dogs and monkeys were found carefully deposited in individual graves at Berenike, a remote seaport on the west coast of the Red Sea.
Some of the animals still wore collars and other ornaments, and others had evidence of disease indicating that they had been cared for by humans.
But the lack of mummification or sacrifice at the 2,000-year-old site suggests that they were companion animals, not used in rituals or worshiped as gods.
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The remains of about 588 cats, dogs and monkeys were found at a site in the ancient Egyptian port of Berenike, in what archaeologists believe to be the oldest known pet cemetery. In the photo: a skeleton of Berenice’s cat wearing a bronze collar
Berenike was founded in 275 BC by Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelfo, who named him after his mother, Berenice I of Egypt.
It was a bustling Roman port, and excavations discovered ceramics, spices, fabrics and other products from places as far away as India, as well as luxury items from across the empire.
Berenike was also an intermediate station for Africa’s ‘war elephants’ who would be sent to fight in various battles.
Archeozoologist Marta Osypinska and her archaeologist husband, Piotr, originally discovered the cemetery in 2011, while excavating a Roman rubbish dump outside the city.
Several dogs found at the site had medical problems that could not have survived without a human caregiver. Many, like this dog, were buried under the pottery ‘that formed a species of sarcophagus’
In 2017, they dug up the remains of about 100 animals, mostly cats, and began to form an image of the use of the area.
Other experts still believed that they may simply have been thrown away as rubbish.
It was not uncommon to bury pets in ancient Egypt, but they were usually buried with their owners, not placed in a dedicated space.
“In the beginning, some very experienced archaeologists discouraged me from this research,” Osypinska told Science.
They insisted that there was little to learn about the Berenike culture by studying pets.
“I hope the results of our studies prove it is worth it,” she told the magazine.
Marta and Piotr Osypinska first discovered the site in 2011, but did not immediately determine its purpose as a pet cemetery. Even after more than 100 animal remains were discovered there, experts discouraged their research
According to his research, published in the journal World Archeology, the ‘animal cemetery’ in Berenice operated for about a hundred years, from the mid-first century to the mid-second century.
Did the ancient Egyptians worship cats?
The ancient Egyptians are believed to have cared for domesticated cats as early as 3700 BC.
Until recently, it was thought that cats were first domesticated in the country around 1950 BC.
But evidence of pet cats was also found in China, indicating that farmers cared for cats in 3,300 BC.
Like a revered animal, cats can receive the same mummification as humans. His remains and were often dedicated to the goddess Bastet. In the photo: Astatue found in Saqqara
Cats were also used as religious sacrifices in Ancient Egypt for more than 5,500 years.
Known as ‘Mau’, they were important in later Egyptian society and became symbols of grace.
Two goddesses took the form of cats – Mafdet, a goddess of justice and lion-headed execution, and Bastet, representing fertility and motherhood.
Like a revered animal, cats could be mummified after death and their remains were often dedicated to Bastet.
There are thought to be four main reasons for mummifying animals: Being worshiped as manifestations of certain gods, as offerings to the gods, to provide food in the afterlife and to allow loved pets to live in the afterlife.
In all, the team has found 585 animals to date, some of which are not native to Africa.
The vast majority – more than 90 percent – were cats, although there were also dogs, baboons and two species of monkeys native to the Indian subcontinent.
Of the dogs, most were of the light-colored Spitz type, although there were also toy dogs and larger canines, more like mastiffs.
Many of the cats wore metal collars or necklaces with ostrich shell beads.
Osypinska told Science that many of the animals were covered with fabrics or ceramics, ‘which formed a kind of sarcophagus’.
The animals were not discarded at random, but carefully placed in individual pits.
A cat was placed on top of the wing of a large bird, the magazine reported.
By consulting with a veterinarian, Osypinska’s team was able to determine that several of the animals had diseases that would have killed them without human caregivers.
The remains of a dog suffering from bone cancer were found on a palm leaf carpet covered by an amphora, according to the Archeology News Network.
His womb still contained scraps of fish and goat meat, his final meal.
Other canines did not have most teeth, had gum disease or showed signs of joint degeneration.
“We have individuals with very limited mobility,” said Osypinska. ‘These animals had to be fed in order to survive, sometimes with special food in the case of almost toothless animals.’
The type of devotion required to care for an old pet reveals that the people of Berenice had strong emotional ties to domestic animals, according to the report.
Archaeologists had discovered mass animal tombs in Egypt before, but the creatures were almost always sacrificed or venerated, not treated as pets.
Dozens of mummified cats were found in 2018 on the edge of the King Userkaf pyramid complex in the former Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo.
Several years earlier, a maze of sacred tunnels was discovered in the same region, packed with the mummified remains of up to eight million dogs, some of which were only a few hours old when they were euthanized.
Other canines were treated as living representatives of the dog-headed god Anubis, living their lives in the nearby temple before being preserved and put to rest in the tunnel network.
The people of Berenike treated these animals as loving companions, Osypinska insists: ‘They were not doing this for the gods or for any utilitarian benefit.’