The Ancient Egyptians kept many animals as household pets, including cats, dogs, monkeys, gazelles, and birds. The cat was a favourite pet because it killed rats and mice in the house, and the Egyptians believed that the cat-goddess, Bastet, protected the home. Some cats may have been specially trained to help their masters when they hunted birds.

Some of the birds included falcons, these pet birds were important because of their religious significance; geese, these honking bird version of a watchdog were popular with nobles; other bird pets include ducks and turtle doves.

Dogs were useful pets. They were used as guard dogs and hunting dogs as they have been in many other cultures around the world. Anubis is often referred to as the jackal headed god, but Egyptians seem to have identified other dogs with this god, and at times domestic dogs were buried as sacred animals in the Anubieion catacombs at Saqqara.

Pets were not only present as paintings or models. The mummified bodies of pets have also been found in tombs. A certain Hapymen, buried at Abydos, was so fond of his pet dog that it was mummified and wrapped in linen, and placed at the side of his feet in his coffin.

The Egyptians loved their pets and went to great lengths to keep them forever. Many of the common pets mummified were dogs, cats and monkeys. These animals were mummified and in most cases, careful effort was used to preserve them.

The Ancient Egyptians domesticated many different types of animals - sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, geese and later horses. Mostly they used the animals to supply milk, wool, meat, eggs, leather, skins, horns, fat, and manual labour.

The cattle in Egypt were, in the pre dynastic Period, a long horned variety of cattle, but a thinner short-horned variety became the norm during the Old Kingdom onwards. The cattle were used for sacrificial purposes as well as being draft animals.

Green monkeys and baboons were the second most popular pets after dogs. It is concluded that the primary reason for this popularity is the ability to train these animals to dance, sing, and even play musical instruments in order to entertain their owners and guests.

Hathor was the royal goddess. Her name means 'House of Horus." Her image could take the form of a cow, a woman with a cow's head, or a woman wearing the horns of a cow. As a motherly cow, she gave the king her divine milk, and protected him as a cow protects her calf. She was the goddess of love, music, singing, and dance.

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This site covers all areas for Ancient Egyptian Facts. Besides the popular ancient egyptian topics for kids of Pharohs, Gods, Inventions, Religion. Itis one of the biggest websites for ancient egypt information for kids. Many college students use it for research on ancient egyptian times.

Ancient Egyptian Money	Ancient Egyptian Recreation Part 1	Ancient Egyptian Trade
Ancient Egyptian Monuments	Ancient Egyptian Recreation Part 2	Ancient Egyptian Translation Of Hieroglyphics
Ancient Egyptian Mummies	Ancient Egyptian Religion Part 1	Ancient Egyptian Transport
Ancient Egyptian Music	Ancient Egyptian Religion Part 2	Ancient Egyptian Viziers
Ancient Egyptian Musical Instruments	Ancient Egyptian Religious Beliefs	Ancient Egyptian Wars
Ancient Egyptian Myths Part 1	Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus	Ancient Egyptian Weaponry
Ancient Egyptian Myths Part 2	Ancient Egyptian Schools	Ancient Egyptian Weapons
Ancient Egyptian Names	Ancient Egyptian Science	Ancient Egyptian Women Part 1
Ancient Egyptian Numbers	Ancient Egyptian Scribes	Ancient Egyptian Women Part 2
Ancient Egyptian Obelisks	Ancient Egyptian Slavery	Ancient Egyptian Women
Ancient Egyptian Paintings	Ancient Egyptian Social Classes	British Museum And Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Papyrus	Ancient Egyptian Soldiers	Burial Tombs In Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs	Ancient Egyptian Sphinxes	Concepts Of Afterlife In Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Pottery	Ancient Egyptian Sports	Farming In Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Priests	Ancient Egyptian Statues	Food And Drink In Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Process Of Embalming	Ancient Egyptian Symbols	King Tutankhamun Of Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Proverbs	Ancient Egyptian Tattoos	Sun God Of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Queens Part 1	Ancient Egyptian Technology	The Pyramids Of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Queens Part 2	Ancient Egyptian Temples	Valley Of The Kings Of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Quotes	Ancient Egyptian Tools	Ancient Egyptian Pictures/Photos

This page last updated in Feb 2012

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