Ancient Egyptian cat. Cats are sacred animals
The ancient Egyptians firmly believed that every animal is endowed greatest power, therefore, their attitude towards them was filled with respect and sacred awe - as if they were carefully preserved relics. However, the most revered animal was the Egyptian cat goddess.
The emergence of the cat cult
Now it is difficult to explain the depth of cat worship that the Egyptian describes. If we boil it down to the simplest, we can say that people who lived in those days associated it with their home, love, marriage and, of course, a kind of protection from the devil.
The first hieroglyphs meaning the words “cat” and “cat” are deciphered as “mint” and “miu”, respectively. In Russian, the transcription of these words is similar to the familiar “meow” to our ears.
Quite a few figurines and drawings of cats have survived. On many of them you can see how a scarab beetle is placed on the chest of the sacred animal. This is another symbol revered in Egypt, with which the concept of life was associated.
As told in documentary film"Cats of Egypt: from deity to wretchedness", these animals were brought from Nubia. Before they became common domesticated animals that people adore for their kindness, gentleness and grace, cats were protectors. They hunted small rodents and thereby saved provisions stored in barns. Cats are carriers of infection, such as plague, and thus prevented epidemics.
When did Egypt become powerful state, the basis of his prosperity were granaries. Filled to the brim with wheat, they served as a guarantee of prosperity. For four whole months, when the Nile flooded, there was no need to fear hunger. To ensure the safety of grain, cats were required, mercilessly exterminating rats and mice.
Thus began the deification of these animals as creatures embodying specific gods in their images. Is it for this reason that the supreme sun god Ra was called the “great cat”? The cat-god Ra defeated the serpent of darkness - Apophis, and often the supreme god was depicted in the form of an animal, holding a knife with one paw and pressing the head of a serpent with the other.
Enlarge when exposed to light cat pupils The Egyptians associated it with the movement of the cat god Ra in a chariot along the heavenly rivers, and the animal’s eyes glowing in the dark with the sign of a fiery chariot. When the sun rises, the cat's eyes become smaller; when it goes down, they get larger.
The Egyptians compared the organ of vision of this unique animal to two reduced suns. For people, they were mystical windows into another world, to which mere mortals did not have access.
During the times of Ancient Egypt, cats were considered aliens from the afterlife, so the dwelling in which this animal lived would never be disturbed by a dark entity. Why? Because cats feel them and see them even in the dark, they will never let anyone into the house that they protect from the devil.
Notice how the Egyptian sphinx seems to freeze and direct its gaze to one point; perhaps at that moment it is in contact with someone who has come from a world invisible to humans.
Goddess Bastet and her sacred black cats
The most significant in Ancient Egypt There was a cult of the cat goddess Bastet, which lasted until 1 BC. e.
The cats of Ancient Egypt became famous throughout the world thanks to the respectful attitude of the Egyptians towards these delightful animals. They endowed them with positive human qualities. It was believed that cats have mystical powers and they know what secrets are kept in the other world. Cats witnessed religious ceremonies. They protected their owners and homes from evil spirits.
This is what is written on one of the pedestals in the Valley of the Kings:
“You, Great Cat, are the embodiment of justice, the patron of leaders and the holy spirit. You are truly a Great Cat."
The high role of animals in Egyptian society is declared by the fact that the main trade in the state was rural farming. This meant that there was a constant need to deal with infestations of mice, rats and snakes. Apparently, the Egyptians learned that cats could hunt uninvited guests and specially planted food for them so that they would come to warehouses and fields more often.
All this happened next to settlements, so the cats gradually began to get used to people and began to live with them. Kittens began to appear in a safe shelter - a human house. Cats were used to interpret dreams. They could predict whether the harvest would be good.
There was no difference between wild and domestic cats in Egypt. They were all called "miu" or "miut". The origin of these words is unknown, but it is likely that they arose from the sound that animals make - meowing. Even little girls were called this, emphasizing their excellent traits: gentleness of character, cunning and intelligence.
Cats in the history of Ancient Egypt
Cats of Ancient EgyptIn ancient Egypt, there were two breeds of cats. "Junge Cat" and "African Wild Cat". The latter had more calm character and were domesticated. There is evidence that the entire ancestry of all domestic cats came from Egypt.
It is believed that the first animals were brought to Egypt from around 2000 BC. from Nubia during the New Kingdom. Although in fact this opinion is erroneous, since archaeologists found a man interred with a cat in a mound near Asyut in the south of the country. The burial dates back to around 6000 BC. It is believed that cats were domesticated around 2000 BC. And dogs - approximately 3000 BC.
During the New Kingdom, images of cats can be found in human tombs. Owners often took cats with them on hunts to catch birds and fish. The most common drawings are those where the cat sits under or next to the chair of the owner of the house, which means protection and friendship.
When the city of Bubastis (Per-Bast) was built as a royal residence for Shoshenq I (XXII Dynasty), the cult of the cat Bast was at the center of the administration of the great power.
Herodotus visited Bubastis around 450 BC. and noted that even though the temple of Bast was not as large as in other cities, it was richly decorated and presented an interesting sight.” He also confirmed that the annual Bast festival was held in one of the most popular cities in Egypt.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims came from all over Egypt to have fun, drink wine, dance, sing and pray to the cat. The festival was so famous that the prophet Ezekiel warned that “The young men of Aven and Bubastine will fall by the sword, and their cities will be captured” (Ezekiel 30:17, 6th century BC). Bubastine was destroyed by the Persians in 350 BC. The cult of Bast was officially banned by imperial decree in 390 BC.
Cult of the cat in ancient Egypt
The most famous cat cult was Bast. There were also several other ancient idols associated with the animal. Nate sometimes took the form of a cat. The cat was one of the sacred symbols of Mut.
The Book of Gates and the Book of Cave indicate that the cat represented a sacred animal called Miuti (Mati). The 11th section of the Duate in the Book of Gates (the pre-dawn hours) is dedicated to her. And the time when Ra fights enemies in the Book of Caves. It is possible that this cult was associated with Mauti, depicted in the tomb of Pharaoh Seti II and referred to as Mau or Mau-Aa (“ Great cat") as one of the forms of manifestation of Ra.
In Chapter 17, Ra takes the form of a cat to kill the snake Apep:
“I, the cat Mai, rushed into the trees of Perse on the night of Anna, when the enemies of Neb-er-tcher” (a form of Osiris) were destroyed!”
Cats were also associated with the "Eye of Ra" and Isis because they were perceived as great mothers.
Killing a cat in ancient Egypt
Cat mummy in ancient Egypt Many animals, especially in early period development of civilization, were assigned magical powers, such as crocodiles, hawks and cows. Each cat was associated with other world and defended common man upon his entry into the Kingdom of the Dead. Only the pharaoh was considered so powerful that all animals were under his care.
Very high fines were levied for harming her throughout Egyptian history.
During the popularity of the Bast cult, killing a cat was punishable by execution.
Diodorus Siculus wrote:
« Whoever kills a cat in Egypt will be sentenced to death, whether he committed this crime intentionally or accidentally. People are going to kill him. Unhappy Roman, he accidentally killed a cat, but his life cannot be saved. So commanded King Ptolemy of Egypt.".
However, studies of cat mummies suggest that they were either injured or deliberately killed at Bubastis.
The smuggling industry of illegally exporting cats to the center of the country flourished. Court records confirm that the pharaoh's army was sent to rescue the stolen animals.
Herodotus claimed that when there was a fire in the house, the cats were taken out first. This was explained by the fact that, frightened by the sight stranger cats can “jump into fire.” This story may be exaggerated, but it highlights the animal's high status in Egyptian society.
The philosopher tells a story about the Egyptians' love for cats. Apparently, the Persians captured several families of cats and took them outside of Pelusia. When the Egyptian troops saw the frightened cats on the battlefield, they surrendered, helping out their loyal friends.
The process of mummification and burial of cats in Egypt
When the cat died, the owner's family went into deep mourning and shaved their eyebrows. The cat's body was mummified and buried, setting up a warehouse with mice, rats and milk. Some graves have been discovered in Bubastis, Giza, Dendera, Beni Hassan and Abydos. In 1888, a cat necropolis with 80 thousand cat mummies was found in Beni Hassan.
The cat's body was embalmed. Diodorus wrote:
« Processed cedar oil and spices to add pleasant smell and preserving the body for a long time."
Project work
Bogdanova Yulia
Anyone who has a cat need not be afraid of loneliness. /Daniel Defoe/
A person is as cultured as he can understand a cat. /Bernard Show/
Only cats know how to get food without labor, a home without a castle, and love without worry. /W.L. George/
The veneration of animals can be seen in all the major religions of the ancient world. Sacred animals were revered in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. But there was a unique attitude towards cats in Egypt. Here they were valued and deified. Why did cats become sacred animals?
On the one hand, this was due to the economy of the country, which “specialized” in growing grain crops and cats were the best choice for protecting huge barns from all kinds of rodents.
Egypt 1550-1425 BC
But, watching the cats, people paid attention to her cleanliness and touching care for her offspring, and cats are also distinguished by their playfulness and ability to cuddle up to humans. All these qualities corresponded to the goddess of fertility, motherhood and fun - Bast. Therefore, this goddess was personified with a cat. BAST - was considered in Ancient Egypt the goddess of fertility and the patroness of love. She served as a symbol of the Sun and Moon, provided protection to the souls of the dead who fell into afterworld, and was also responsible for the fertility of animals and people. People prayed to her for a cure for many diseases. She had the head of a cat and mysterious cat eyes.
Goddess Bast
Egyptian priests believed, and this belief has survived to this day, that cats are capable of taking on human karma.
To ensure the integrity of such an amazing animal Ancient world there was only one way - to declare it sacred.
Egypt 664-380 BC
The priests of Ancient Egypt declared cats sacred, and since then mere mortals had no right to touch cats, and only the pharaoh could own them. Thus, the cat became an object of religious cult for the Egyptians. This was reflected in the fact that these animals were immortalized in sculptures and paintings, and they were honored as a deity. Harm caused to a cat was punishable by severe punishment, and killing an animal was punishable by death. For a dead cat, the owner was supposed to mourn for several days and shave his eyebrows as a sign of great sadness.
Cat mummy. France. Louvre.
The body of the deceased animal was mummified and, after a complex, solemn funeral ceremony, was subject to burial in a special cat cemetery. This is confirmed by archaeological data: in 1890, during excavations of the ancient city of Bubas-Tisa, next to the temple of the goddess Bast, scientists discovered more than 300 well-preserved cat mummies.In Ancient Egypt, cats enjoyed almost the same honor and respect as the pharaoh (ruler of the state).
There is also a known case when generals used cats in battles with the Egyptians. Knowing how the inhabitants of Egypt revered sacred animals, the Persian king Cambyssus ordered live cats to be tied to the shields of his soldiers. It was cruel to animals, but the population of Egypt surrendered without a fight so as not to harm the cats.
Egypt 3rd century BC
It was forbidden to take these animals outside of Egypt, but according to legends, the Greeks stole several pairs of cats. Soon the animals multiplied and became very popular in Greece. They have successfully replaced semi-wild weasels and ferrets, which were previously used to control rodent pests.
Villager appreciated the benefits that cats brought and tried to tame them. Gradually, cats got used to living next to humans and at the same time maintaining the independence characteristic of these animals.
Egypt 3rd century BC
From Ancient Greece cats found their way to other European countries, where they also began to enjoy well-deserved respect, since they turned out to be not only excellent hunters, but also devoted friends person. In addition, the Greeks greatly appreciated beauty in everything, and the cat is a beautiful and graceful animal.
Italian fresco in PompeI 70 AD
Ancient scientists and philosophers wrote about cats in scientific treatises. For example, the famous Roman historian Pliny the Elder first described the anatomical and physiological characteristics cats in his book Natural History.In Europe, the cat was initially considered the guardian of the hearth and personified freedom and independence. Although Europeans, unlike the ancient Egyptians, did not consider the cat a sacred animal, they treated it with great respect. Then the cat began to be perceived differently, because obscurantists associated it with the devil and witchcraft and exterminated it with the most in cruel ways, supposedly destroying their satanic power. Black cats were considered accomplices of Satan; rumor ascribed to them the qualities of creatures dangerous to people. This happened with the encouragement of church ministers. After some time, rats - carriers - spread across Europe. terrible disease, the bubonic plague, which killed more than half the population of European countries.
Plague in Europe
After such circumstances, the cat regained popularity. Even the church changed its attitude towards these animals, which also contributed to the return of universal affection for cats.
But even in times of religious fanaticism, there were enlightened people who retained the ability to think rationally. Some monasteries continued to breed cats to catch rodents, which continued to harm people's food supplies. Perhaps thanks to this, cats were not completely exterminated when their numbers in Europe were greatly reduced.
The cat can be called a truly mystical animal, since many signs are associated with it that exist to this day, and the interpretation of these signs is often the opposite in different countries.
Cats gradually populated the countries of Asia when the active development of trade between Europe and Asia began.
There is a version about quite the original way, how the first cat came to the East: it was exchanged for a piece of silk fabric.
Ancient China. Processing silkworm cocoons
The attitude towards this animal in the East was quite peculiar. On the one hand, cats continued to protect the harvest of silkworm cocoons from mice and rats, and the silk trade is an important part of the economies of Japan and China. But besides this, cats performed another function - they served as a kind of talismans that invariably brought peace, prosperity and family happiness. This is how the East appreciated the charm of these animals. Even today, many people are convinced that the mystical qualities of a living talisman increase with age: the older the cat, the more happiness it brings to its owners.
Every Chinese had to have a small ceramic figurine of a cat, which not only decorated the house, but also drove away evil spirits from its inhabitants. The presence of these animals was believed to promote meditation.
The ancient Egyptian inscription on the obelisk in Nebra reads: “Oh, wonderful cat, bestowed forever.” The cult of this small predator began during the Old Kingdom and lasted for many centuries. Never in any state in the world has this graceful animal been revered as much as in the country of the pyramids. Cats in Ancient Egypt were not only full members of Egyptian families and favorite pets of the pharaohs, people assigned them divine status and built temples and even entire cities in their honor. It was a golden age in cat history.
The role of the cat in Ancient Egypt: why were these animals deified?
Ancient Egyptian cat figurines
Ancient Egypt's Past and History of Domestication wild cats are inextricably linked, since it was in the country of the pyramids that the ancestors modern cats for the first time they began to live next to humans. This is evidenced by many sources dating back to the 3rd millennium BC.
Even then, on the paintings in the tombs of noble citizens and even the pharaoh himself, furry animals were depicted living in the house as honorary family members and wearing special collars. Egyptian artists tried to paint the sacred animal in any form and pose on funerary slabs or papyri. Sculptors sculpted them from gold, bronze, stone or wood, sculpted them from clay, and carved them from elephant tusks. Young Egyptian women always kept amulets with cat images, which were called “uchat” and were a symbol of childbirth.
Thanks to frescoes and other objects of art decorated with graceful feline figurines, it also became known that the Egyptians called their pets "miu" or "miut". There is an assumption that cats received this nickname because of the meowing sounds they make. This name was also given to girls to emphasize their beauty, grace and softness.
The inhabitants of the country of the pyramids greatly revered furry animals. They admired their cleanliness and grace. A special mystery for humans was the secret twilight lifestyle of the cat, its eyes glowing in the dark, silent gait, and independent disposition. These unusual and inexplicable qualities awed the ancient people and instilled in their hearts boundless respect for the freedom-loving animal. In addition, the cat was also credited with mystical abilities - according to the Egyptians, it could visit the other world.
Therefore, cats were welcome guests in many temple complexes of Ancient Egypt. There they were fed fresh fish, which were specially bred in ponds. The care of temple animals was carried out by priests - “cat guardians” and was one of the most honorable services in the state. Moreover, this respected profession was proudly passed down from father to children. Superstitious Egyptians believed that temple animals were able to predict the future. Therefore, the priests carefully watched their every gesture, and then interpreted the signs, believing that this was how the gods themselves communicated with them.
The practical side of the issue
The veneration of cats in Ancient Egypt also had economic prerequisites, in addition to mystical ones. In those distant times, the state was engaged exclusively in agricultural activities and was famous throughout the world for its rich harvest of grain crops. In fact, the life of the country of the pyramids directly depended on the amount of wheat grown and its safety.
But the harvest was often completely destroyed by countless hordes of rodents. It was then that the ancient Egyptians paid attention to furry animals, each of which was able to save up to ten tons of grain a year. Thus, cats were vital animals for the survival of an entire nation.
Small predators also deftly destroyed poisonous horned vipers, of which there were great numbers in those lands. Cats were also taken for hunting as game animals; they caught birds and fish.
Thanks to the cat mummies that have survived to this day, archaeologists and scientists were able to find out what these animals looked like in those distant times. They were small in size, thin, graceful and mostly a solid reddish color.
The meaning of the goddess Bastet in religious cult
Archaeologists suggest that the ancient Egyptian pantheon contained the names of several hundred gods. But one of the most popular deities included in the “sacred nine” (nine supreme deities) was considered a young and beautiful girl with the head of a cat - the goddess Bastet (Bast).
Her statues were carved from stone and made of gold or bronze. In her hands she held a sister ( musical instrument), and four kittens frolicked at the feet of the goddess. On the bases of these statues and obelisks were carved sacred prayers: “I am the cat, the mother of life. She can give life and strength, all health and joy of the heart.”
The cats of Egypt were also revered in two guises: the Sun God himself was often depicted in the form of a red cat (the male form of Bastet). And in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead the Great Matu is depicted - a cat white, who saved humanity from the serpent Apep.
Sometimes the goddess was depicted with a lion's head to emphasize the duality of nature. This is due to one interesting legend about the daughter of the supreme god Ra, who could take the form of a lioness - Sekhmed (or Muut). She was the mistress of the desert, the formidable and merciless goddess of war and the scorching sun. As weapons she had the sultry winds of the simoom and arrows that struck enemies to the very heart.
Despite her quarrelsome character, Sekhmed was considered the guardian of peace and protector of the human race. Thousands of believers offered prayers to her in moments of danger and asked for protection from ill-wishers.
According to the myth, Ra sent Muut to earth to punish disobedient people. But once she got to mere mortals, the cruel goddess tasted human blood, went mad and crossed all permitted boundaries. She began to mercilessly exterminate humanity. Then the god Onuris decided to deceive the lioness and doused the ground with beer tinted red (according to another version, red wine).
Mistaking the drink for blood, she began to lap it up and soon became drunk. It was then that the gods turned the bloodthirsty wild animal into a fluffy miniature cat. Therefore, in addition to the refined cat essence, Bast also had a second dark nature of the cruel predator Sekhmed. Over time, this myth was forgotten, and after 2000 BC, images of Bastet changed significantly - she began to be depicted exclusively in the form of a graceful cat.
In the country of the pyramids, Bast personified life itself, the fertility of women and the earth, and was the patroness of the hearth and protector of the pharaoh and his family. In addition, the royal goddess was associated with the solar and moonlight. She was given the power to open the dawn of a new morning.
Also, the cat goddess was revered as the patroness of pregnant and giving birth girls, since these are the animals that kitten easily. The ancient Egyptians believed that Bast protected children from being bitten. poisonous snakes and scorpions, as well as serious illnesses. Therefore, amulets with the image of a cat were made for newborns, and corresponding tattoos were applied to older children.
Temples built in honor of the cat-headed woman
In the religion of Ancient Egypt, the divine cat had great significance and influence. In her honor, not far from the Nile Delta, a religious center of worship was built - the city of Bubastis, in which there was a beautiful temple dedicated to cat goddess, according to the description of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. It was here that annual religious celebrations associated with the cat cult took place, where many pilgrims flocked from all over the country. Archaeologists have even found ancient city the largest burial site of mummified furry animals (about three hundred thousand mummies).
It is also known that in the temple complex of Saqqara, not far from the step pyramid of Djoserra, the Egyptians erected a large sanctuary in honor of the cat. In its center stood a gigantic statue of Bastet, made of expensive Aswan marble. During religious celebrations, the statue was taken out of the temple, loaded into a boat and transported along the river banks.
Historians associate such a rise of the cat-headed goddess with serious political changes in the country of the pyramids, when central power moved from the Upper Kingdom to the Lower Kingdom, and the state had a new capital - Per-Bast (house of Bast). The cult of Bastet lasted on Egyptian soil until the 4th century AD.
Little known facts
The descendants of the sacred Nubian cats are the modern Egyptian Mau, which became famous throughout the world thanks to its natural leopard color. There is also a version that the first cats of the country of the pyramids were descendants of reed and steppe cats. Special role At the court of the pharaoh, hairless animals also played - sphinxes, which eventually disappeared from the territory of Egypt and were revived to life in Canada only in the 70s of the 20th century.
Interesting facts about ancient Egyptian cats, which only emphasize their importance for the inhabitants of the country of the pyramids:
- Almost all ordinary Egyptians had their own furry favorite. They left fresh fish for her as a treat, looked after her as the most honorable member of the family, and believed that for this she would protect all the residents of the house. If a fire suddenly started, the pet was taken out of the burning building first and only then the children.
- The Egyptians protected sacred cat and prevented its export outside the country, since the animal was the property of the pharaoh himself. Violation of this rule was punishable by death, and animals that left the state were returned home through ransom or kidnapping.
- Even for the unintentional murder of a little rat catcher, the criminal paid own life. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus testified to the case of how one of the Romans accidentally drove over an animal in a chariot and was torn to pieces by angry Egyptians for this.
- If a furry pet died, her funeral was held with great honors and funeral songs, and the owners shaved off their eyebrows and hair on their heads in tribute and plunged into a long 70-day mourning.
Dead animals were mummified by being wrapped in linen cloth with ornaments and sacred prayers and anointing the body with incense and oils. It was believed that thanks to this ritual, the pet’s soul would gain the ability to be reborn in a new body. Rich citizens put a gold mask on the mummy, placed it in a wooden, bronze or gold sarcophagus and left their favorite toys and embalmed mouse carcasses in the tomb.
Photo of a cat mummy exhibited in the Louvre
But the worship of the furry pet once played a cruel joke on the Egyptians. According to the records of the historian Ptolemy, in 525 BC. cats negatively influenced the results of the siege of the border city of Pelusium by Persian troops. Circumstances forced the Persians to stand under the walls, since they were not known for their ability to storm well-defended cities.
Then King Cambyses II ordered to catch many cats and tie them to the armor and shields of the soldiers walking in front of the entire army. Seeing this, the Egyptians did not dare to use spears and arrows, so as not to injure any sacred animal. As a result, the battle was lost. But despite everything, cats continued to be deified in Egypt until the conquest of the country by the Greeks, and a little later by the Roman legions.
The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt believed that the universe was created by a pantheon of gods - omnipotent and irreconcilably cruel to disobedience. Animals and plants - multiple incarnations higher powers, their flesh and even parts of their bodies. Animals considered sacred were “tuned” to a certain channel through which they could communicate with the gods, who, in turn, could look at humanity through them. God Ra and the goddess Bastet looked at the world through cat's eyes, and it was through cats that one could turn in prayer to the creators and guardians of all things.
But not only the cat is a sacred animal of Egypt. In addition to the graceful hunters, the Egyptians considered sacred the black bull, falcon, crocodile, jackal, ibis, ram and some other animals and birds. However, the cat was lucky to be close to Bastet and Ra, and therefore these animals were given special honors. How else? After all, Ra is the supreme god, and Bastet is the goddess of fertility and protector of the family principle.
In Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead it is said: “I am Atum, the one, the existing. I am the sun god Ra in his first rising. I am a great god who created himself...” Atum was once the god of gods, creating the great nine deities from his body, ruling the world. Among the nine heads of the pantheon was the Egyptian god Ra, who subsequently removed the “parent” from the heavenly throne. Ra became the supreme deity; people wove into his story many events from the legends about Atum, forgotten during the Old Kingdom (3200-2060 BC). For example, the sun god Ra, like Atum, created from own body nine supreme gods.
Cats in Egyptian history were often identified with Ra. Probably the mustachioed residents are so honored the most ancient state were awarded due to the structure of the eyes. According to the Book of the Dead, the god Ra changed his eyes depending on the time of day (the eye of Ra is the sun or the moon). Cats also perform this “trick” - in bright light, their pupils narrow, turning into almost invisible slits. It was believed that during the day a cat absorbs sunlight eyes, and at night, giving Ra’s favor to people, gives sunlight - obviously we're talking about about night flicker cat eyes. Cats were considered the messengers of Ra also because these animals hate snakes, destroying any that settled on their territory. According to mythology, Ra descends every night into the underworld, where he kills his sworn enemy, the serpent Apophis, and then returns again to the waters of the heavenly Nile (i.e., morning comes). A sacred animal associated with Ra is the scarab beetle, which can be read on the chest or forehead of a tabby-colored cat (namely striped and spotted cats lived in Ancient Egypt, inheriting this color from their wild ancestors). Sometimes the Egyptian god Ra, when killing Apep, acts in the form of a huge red cat (an animal that hates snakes, plus red is the color of the sun).
Around 2060 BC (New Kingdom), Pharaoh Mentuhotep, ruling Upper Egypt, seeks the unification of the country by subjugating Lower Egypt. A single religion is formed, and as a result of the mergers of two cultures, Amon Ra, the sun god of the Egyptians, is “born.” He united two gods - the above-described Ra and Amon, who was the main god of the Upper Kingdom. In order to unite the people, the priests endowed a new supreme deity general features Amun and Ra. On initial stage Amon Ra, the god of the sun, was still depicted in the form of a cat and was considered the patron of these animals, but over time, Amon “took over”: Amon-Ra was depicted as a man wearing a golden crown or with a ram’s head.
