Scientists Reveal Inside Story of Ancient Egyptian Animal Mummies
Ancient Egypt may be better known for its human mummies, but Egyptians also commonly mummified their animals as well. In addition to house pets buried alongside their owners, a large market existed for mummified animals —from birds to cats to crocodiles—intended as sacred offerings to Egypt’s many gods. So large, in fact, that an entire industry arose, which researchers believe produced more than 70 million animal mummies between 800 B.C. and 400 A.D. But a new study analyzing hundreds of these mummies has revealed that many of them contained only partial remains—while others contained no animal remains at all.
Source: www.history.com