Cats in Ancient Egypt were kept as pets and as sacred animals dedicated to Bastet, the goddess of fertility and the home. Cats served a useful role in the house, as they were successful in keeping away mice and snakes. Depicted as a cat or cat-headed woman, Bastet was associated with the daughter of the sun god Re. Egyptian myth indicates that Re’s daughter was a lioness when angry and a cat when calm.
Large cemeteries containing cat mummies have been found at several sites in Egypt, including Saqqara, Bubastis, and Thebes. Young cats were mummified, wrapped in cloth or placed in cat-shaped boxes, and sold to pilgrims who made votive offerings to the goddess. Some bronze statues of cats (including the one pictured here) may have contained cat mummies that were displayed at shrines.
Our hollow cast bronze statue of a seated cat can
be found at the back of the 3rd-floor Egypt Gallery. She looks solemnly ahead, her tail curled around her feet. Tall and thin, her chest is decorated with inscribed jewelry and her eyes are highlighted in gold leaf. On her hindquarters is an incised inscription that is very worn, perhaps a record of her dedication to Bastet.
It was difficult to select just one object as I have many favorite objects that I visit as I walk through the Museum. I selected this cat because her gold eyes always pull me to the back of the gallery. And when I walk around her, I imagine that there really is a cat mummy inside.
For Further Reading
Silverman, D.P. Searching for Ancient Egypt: Art, Architecture, and Artifacts from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum, 1997 (see pages 64–65).
What is your favorite object?
Tell us about your favorite Penn Museum object and why you like it. We will do the research and present it in an upcoming issue of Expedition. Write the editor at jhickman@upenn.edu.