Egyptians Sold Fake Cat Mummies

Most people know that the ancient Egyptians created mummies and held cats in high esteem - even worshipping them, in some cases. Some people know that the Egyptians went so far as to mummify cats. Apparently, though, not all "cat mummies" are created the same: researchers have discovered that some cat mummies are fakes. Perhaps they were sold to unsuspecting rubes for the purpose of sacrifice.

The Discovery Channel reports:

The machine saw through a mummified cat dated to approximately 500 B.C. that contained only twigs and cotton. ... The findings support the theory that the ancients were just as prone to mischief and mistakes as we are today. ... "The person who bought it probably used it as an offering to the goddess Bestat, who possessed the head of a cat," said William Pestle, anthropology collections manager at the Chicago natural history museum.

He explained that mummy standards began to "fall off" around the 25th and 26th dynasties, which existed from 8-7 B.C. "During these later dates, commoners started to manufacture coffins in huge numbers," Pestle told Discovery News. "Sometimes mummies would not fit into the coffins, so makers would have to break the bones or chip off parts of the coffin."

Sounds like high demand led to mass production and that, in turn, led to a decrease in the quality of craftsmanship. It's a problem that people have complained about in America, but who knew it occurred in the context of coffins and mummies of ancient Egypt as well? I wonder if anyone ever opened up their cat mummy, discovered it was fake, and tried to return it for a refund.

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