Furtastic Series Banner

Dozens of cat mummies unearthed in ancient Egyptian tomb

4,500-year-old dieties.
By Mark Kaufman  on 
Dozens of cat mummies unearthed in ancient Egyptian tomb
An Egyptian archaeologist cleans mummified cats on Nov 10, 2018. Credit: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images

At an excavation of a pharaoh's 4,500-year-old pyramid complex, Egyptian archaeologists discovered dozens of mummified cats -- in addition to 100 ornate cat statues.

Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Dr. Khaled El-Enany announced the ancient cat artifacts on Nov. 10, and the Ministry took to Twitter to share images of the long-deceased felines, wrapped in ribbons of cloth.

Ancient Egyptians may not have worshiped their cats, but there's ample evidence that they viewed the small mammals as divine.

Mashable Light Speed
Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?
Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!

The mummified cats, however, weren't alone.

Piles of mummified scarab beetles were also found in the tomb. The large beetles lay buried under the lid of heavy limestone sarcophagus for 4,500 years.

Topics Animals

Mashable Image
Mark Kaufman

Mark is an award-winning journalist and the science editor at Mashable. After communicating science as a ranger with the National Park Service, he began a reporting career after seeing the extraordinary value in educating the public about the happenings in earth sciences, space, biodiversity, health, and beyond. 

You can reach Mark at [email protected].


More from Furtastic


A man-eating tiger is dead. And that's good for other tigers.
A man-eating tiger is dead. And that's good for other tigers.

Get a dog DNA test kit by Embark on sale for $40 off with this promo code
Get a dog DNA test kit by Embark on sale for $40 off with this promo code

Well, turns out you can pack in a lot of mosquitoes without killing them
Well, turns out you can pack in a lot of mosquitoes without killing them

Recommended For You
Apple May 7 event: Last-minute predictions on what to expect
Apple's May 7 event logo

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. SE: I tested both for 13 days
Apple Watch Series 9 vs. SE

All the Amazon Fire TV Sticks are back down to their Big Spring Sale prices
By Jillian Anthony
Amazon Fire TV Stick

A ChatGPT search engine is rumored to be coming next week
a person with a notebook computer silhouetted against the OpenAI logo

IOS 18 tipped to get 3 new AI features, including Siri summarizing your texts
iOS 18 illustrative collage

More in Science
Amazon deal of the day: Snag the sleek Samsung Jet 75 Pet stick vacuum for under $200
Nanit baby monitor, Samsung vacuum, Thermacell mosquito repellant, and Nespresso VertuoPlus with yellow striped background

X is changing how blocking works to curb abuse
X/Twitter app logo


'I was kinda trapped': Watch a Cybertruck try to eat a guy's finger
a Tesla Cybertruck with its frunk trunk or "frunk" standing open

Apple Watch feature becomes first digital health tech to receive this FDA approval
Apple Watch

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for May 4
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

'Wordle' today: Here's the answer hints for May 4
a phone displaying Wordle

53 of the best Harvard University courses you can take online for free
Hands on laptop

NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for May 5
A phone displaying the New York Times game 'Connections.'

The best movies on Prime Video right now
By Kimber Myers
An Asian woman holds a sword; a boy rides a dragon; a Black man in a suit faces forward
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!