11 votes

Why were Ancient Egyptians obsessed with cats?

6 comments

  1. [6]
    fefellama
    Link
    I love that the Ancient Egyptian word for cat was miu Brutally sacrificing kittens to please the gods, ahhhhh that definitely does not spark joy 180,000 cat mummies taken to Britain in the 1800s...
    1. I love that the Ancient Egyptian word for cat was miu
    2. Brutally sacrificing kittens to please the gods, ahhhhh that definitely does not spark joy
    3. 180,000 cat mummies taken to Britain in the 1800s to be used as fertilizer FROM A SINGLE SITE! holy crap

    Interesting video for sure, I knew cats were big in Ancient Egyptian culture, but did not realize just how big.

    6 votes
    1. [5]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Yeah, using mummies as fertilizer is a bit bizarre. But one thing not mentioned in the video that was even more bizarre: In the middle ages, due to a mistranslation/misunderstanding of the Latin...

      Yeah, using mummies as fertilizer is a bit bizarre. But one thing not mentioned in the video that was even more bizarre: In the middle ages, due to a mistranslation/misunderstanding of the Latin word for medicinal bitumen (mumia), actual mummies started being acquired by Europeans to be used for medicinal purposes:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummia#History

      3 votes
      1. Minty
        Link Parent
        I'd like to add ground up mummies were used as paint pigment "mummy brown" which on at least one occasion, and probably a few, was used to paint a mummy.

        I'd like to add ground up mummies were used as paint pigment "mummy brown" which on at least one occasion, and probably a few, was used to paint a mummy.

        2 votes
      2. [3]
        fefellama
        Link Parent
        Didn't know about the (unintentional) medicinal use of these mummies, but I did know that they were used in paints as the color mummy brown. Which is just wild to think about. I'm sure there are...

        Didn't know about the (unintentional) medicinal use of these mummies, but I did know that they were used in paints as the color mummy brown. Which is just wild to think about.

        I'm sure there are tons of stuff about the future that I can't even imagine, but "thousands of years from now someone will grind up my remains and use the dust to paint with" is crazy to think about.

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          cfabbro
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          I actually think my remains being used to make paint would be pretty cool! If the paint got used on for an interesting piece of art, anyways.

          I actually think my remains being used to make paint would be pretty cool! If the paint got used on for an interesting piece of art, anyways.

          1 vote
          1. [2]
            Comment deleted by author
            Link Parent
            1. cfabbro
              Link Parent
              I like you, but I don't know if I like you so much that I'd want my ghost lingering around in your bedroom watching what you do there! :P

              I like you, but I don't know if I like you so much that I'd want my ghost lingering around in your bedroom watching what you do there! :P

              2 votes