Why is Egypt's belief in cats?

Before people were afraid of cats, they were in awe of them. The ancient Egyptians first domesticated cats as domestic pets, and eventually cats became the object of their religious worship. Around 2000 BC, the goddess Bastiato was portrayed as a woman with a cat's head and was worshipped as the god of fertility and rehabilitation. According to the Greek historian Diodorus Dorus Kurrus, cats live in temples, fed with milk, bread and Nile fish, and even the people who look after them have a high social status. Later, the cat was considered not only the incarnation of the goddess, but also the god himself. Even if you accidentally kill a cat, you will be sentenced to death. If the domestic cat dies unexpectedly, the whole family will shave their eyebrows to show their condolences. Cat amulets are very popular. Even after the death of cats, the reverence for them did not disappear. Burying cats should also show respect to them. At that time, the way was to mummify them (people believed that mummies could regenerate souls). 1888 In the summer, an Egyptian farmer unearthed a cat mummy more than 2,000 years ago in his field. There are as many as 300,000 cats, but it is actually just one of the cat cemeteries in ancient Egypt.

Why do people have such strong feelings for cats? Many of these superstitions about cats actually reflect some characteristics of cats: like Hermione's cats, most cats hate mice. Some people say that Egyptians worship cats because cats can guard grain warehouses from rodents. Because of the discovery that cats can subdue poisonous snakes, Egyptians began to believe that cats are natural enemies of poisonous snakes, and poisonous snakes are a symbol of evil in their tradition. Cats have good night vision and unique eyes can reflect light, so people also think that cats have perspective function. If they can still see in the dark, why can't they guess our thoughts and even predict the future? The static electricity on cat hair will change because of dry or humid weather, which is considered to have the ability to predict the weather. Moreover, many cats live alone, so people think it is an "afterlife" creature with a mysterious life. Otherwise, evil conspirators will eavesdrop on other people's conversations or attack sleeping babies at any time, so if you like to pat a cat with smooth fur and whisper your secrets to it, you can consider using a dog instead.

About 1600 BC, 3000-4000 years ago, the purpose of keeping cats in ancient Egypt was to protect the grain from rats, and the other was for religious reasons. In Egypt, cats are favored for religious reasons. The law prohibits taking cats abroad, and offenders are even sentenced to death! ! If anyone touches this cat, I'll kill him first. It seems that loving cats is the innate nature of the Egyptian nation. I have always respected and cared for cats. In the Greek and Roman times before 2000 AD, cats after death were coated with spices and bandages. Cats are made into "cat mummies" and are worshipped and worshipped by thousands of people. Archaeologists once found 300,000 "cat mummies" in a sacred temple. Some people even take some mice or thread balls as funerary objects for cats and try their best to "live and die". Whether before or after death, ancient cats enjoy a special status. According to historical records, an unlucky Roman soldier was killed by an angry crowd because he accidentally killed a cat! ! The Egyptian cat is the incarnation of Beth, the goddess of the moon, and the secret messenger of the night spirit. The highest palace wall can't stop them from sneaking in. They stood on the high wall like the holy spirit, overlooking the noblest royal family in Egypt. Anyway, in the murals of ancient Egyptian temples along the Nile, we can see the image of Egyptian cats 1400 years ago. In ancient Egypt, cats were the embodiment of God. Some people say that Egyptians worship cats because they can protect grain warehouses from rodents, while snakes are regarded as a symbol of rights in Egypt.