And, based on mummified cats discovered in tombs alongside humans, they carried an important role in the afterlife, as well.ĭetail of a painting from the tomb of Nebamun showing him standing on a reed boat hunting birds. Whether or not they were worshiped as deities, cats were an integral part of ancient Egyptian life. “Rather, saw animals as representations of divine aspects of their gods.” “Though it is hard to say the Egyptians thought one thing or another, since so much change happened across their 3,000+ years of history, the ancient Egyptians, in general, did not worship animals,” says Julia Troche, an Egyptologist, assistant professor of history at Missouri State University, and author of Death, Power, and Apotheosis in Ancient Egypt: The Old and Middle Kingdoms.

The animals were initially adopted as useful predators in ancient Egypt and gradually became symbols of divinity and protection. Along with hieroglyphics, obelisks and geometric patterns, cats feature prominently in ancient Egyptian art, reflecting the animal’s unique status among the people who dwelled along the Nile River.