Animals were deeply sacred in ancient Egypt, particularly from the 26th dynasty – around 700 BC – until the end of Egyptian civilization and the advent of Christianity by 400 AD. They were believed to be the living embodiment of gods, so preserving their corpses after death became a matter of the utmost importance. As Dr Salima Ikram explains, Egyptian embalmers would go to painstaking and expensive lengths to mummify everything, from ibis to cows, mice and fish. Cats had particularly high status in Egyptian society, while mummified dogs have been found by the thousands. Even lowly scarab beetles were carefully preserved.
