Photo by HarlequeenMummies — We’ve all heard about mummies, probably the most common use for this is when referring to ancient Egyptian tombs. But humans weren’t the only blessed beings that were mummified. Many dogs were also buried in a royal fashion and sometimes also found buried with their owners.
But during one specific excavation, scientists discovered a different kind of tomb. They called it Egypt’s Ancient Dog Catacombs. Here scientists discovered the remains of not just a few mummified remains of man’s best friend, but nearly eight million different animal mummies were buried there. These dog catacombs contained remains upwards to 2,500 years old.
The Dog Catacombs were discovered at the ancient royal burial grounds of Saqqara, buried beneath the desert. Now this discovery dates back over a century ago, but it wasn’t until recent years that scientists began to learn some very interesting things about this find.
Many of you may of heard of the ancient Egyptian guardian of the afterlife named Anubis. The complex tunnel system that was discovered contained mounds and mounds of animal carcasses. This tunnel system was dedicated to Anubis which kind of makes sense considering this God of the Afterlife was a jackal-headed man like figure. For those of you that aren’t familiar with a jackal, it’s quite similar to a dog in appearance.
Of course the remains that were discovered were extremely deteriorated and hard to distinguish any characteristics at the time of discovery. But according to research, it was said these dog mummies were piled and stacked sometime between the late sixth century B.C. and early first century B.C. Some of these piles or burial mounds were upwards of three feet in height and filled the side tunnels of this complex catacomb system.
But regardless of the condition of the remains that were discovered, they still had quite a story to tell as far as scientists were concerned.
What Was the Purpose for the Dog Mummies
It is believed that these huge piles of dog carcasses were a gift to the God Anubis, it was their attempt to gain the attention of Anubis and show him their loyalty. Something similar to the modern day lighting of candles, the belief is that ones prayers will be carried to God through the smoke. In a similar manner, the mummified dog’s spirits were said to carry a person’s prayers to the afterlife. They believed that since the dogs and Anubis were the same species, that his ear would be sensitive to the prayers carried by the dogs.
Were Dog Remains the Only Ones Found
Dogs were not the only animal remains found within the Dog Catacombs at Saqqara. Among the dogs were also jackals, foxes and ichneumon. Ichneumon are similar to a mongoose if you’re familiar with what that is. But even though there were other species of animals found there, the majority of the animals were dogs. This is the reason scientists believe this sacred place was dedicated to the God Anubis.
But there were still some other interesting finds among all these dog like remains. It appeared that worshipers of Anubis were not the only cult using this place for speaking to the Gods. Also found were baboons, cows, bulls and many others.
Were There Any Specific Characteristics Found
This large maze, referred to as the Dog Catacombs, was home to dog mummies of all ages and sizes. There didn’t seem to be any consistency as far as the characteristics of the animals were concerned.
Among the remains were long legged, short legged, long haired, short haired, it didn’t seem to matter. They seemed to be content to bury what ever was readily available at the time. It is said the Egyptians probably had puppy farms where they raised dogs specifically for the purpose of mummification and offering to the catacombs in another attempt to reach the ear of Anubis.
It is calculated that the priests would of had to mummify quite a large number of animals each week for pilgrims to carry to the catacombs as an offering. There did seem to be some dogs mummified with greater care than others, possibly depending on the purpose of the person’s prayer, or how important it was.
What About the Cats
As we know, cats held a very sacred place in Egyptian times and were often seen as gilded statues in tombs and final resting places. Well the dog catacombs were no exception. There was actually a small number of cat mummies also present and were thought to of been given a sacred status due to them taking up residence in the Temple of Anubis.
But one theory suggests that the cat mummies were fakes posing as dogs, being offered in hopes that Anubis wouldn’t notice they were not dogs. Speculation is that when the supply of dogs ran thin, they would wrap up cats and make them look like dogs, that’s quite a scam if you ask me…lol
And here’s one ironic moment I’ll leave you with… Tombs were originally built to protect the dead from roaming dogs and jackals. Strange how events can turn so quickly.
What do you think the purpose of this huge, dog burial site was?
it was just strange to know about the ancient dog mummies.
I had previously heard about the mummies of the humans only!
Hey Yogesh, thanks for the comment. Yah these dog mummies are a breed all of their own…lol sorry had to say it. But ya I agree, it is something different that we don’t hear about nearly as often as human mummification. But we have to remember this was a very sacred process to the Egyptians and they used it for most all burials I’m assuming. Thanks for reading
this is one of the weird facts which I have ever have heard of the Egyptians!
However, thanks for the information.
The carving of a Entanglement of mines beneath the Egyptian sands has manifested the vestige of millions of beasts, mostly dogs and jackals. Many seem to have been only hours or days chronic when they were killed and mummified.
That’s correct, it was said that many of these mummies suggested the mummification process took place shortly after the birth of the puppies. That’s what suggested they were using puppy farms. Really quite sad, it’s amazing what some will do in the name of “appeasing the Gods”
very interesting post! thanks for information 🙂
You’re very welcome, thanks for stopping by.
nice post,dog mummies lessening quite different. interesting to read.thank you for sharing this.
You’re very welcome, the research I did on this one was quite astonishing to me as well. I really had no idea there were so many dog mummies at this site.
Hey Robert,
Cool article. I have to say I think there is something here about the close connection dogs are able to establish with their owners, but that’s just me. The large number of the mummies may disprove this completely. In any case, it’s a very unique and interesting article, loved reading it!
Thanks, Mel
Thank you Melanie, I’m glad you enjoyed reading.
Your theory may be correct, considering that the people were using their dogs as a communication medium between themselves and Anubis. This kind of history just blows me away as it is a clear picture telling us how much we’ve evolved over the centuries. Really interesting stuff, I’m glad you can appreciate it and thanks for stopping by!
Actually it does make sense for ancient people to mummify dogs,
we know that allot of emperors mummified soldiers to escort them and protect them and serve them in the afterlife,
surely as we did, the ancient figured out that dogs are the most loyal form of animals and dogs love their master more than they love themselves so having dog escorts and protectors would make sense in a way, do you think ?
Some very interesting feedback Mitch. Mummification of dogs could of been a way to allow the dogs to escort their owners into the afterlife. Although 8 million dog mummies is quite the large number, no one really knows how long this accumulation took. But with most things of this magnitude, the research continues.
Thanks for the great thought. 🙂
Sure thing Robert, I also find these ancient civilizations fascinating and mystical. I recently watched “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” I think that is the name. About the cave in France where they found the paintings of horses from prehistoric times. It’s a beautiful film, and really captures the wonder and the talent of the people who painted them. Keep up the good work!
Cheers, Mel
Hey, thanks a bunch for the documentary recommendation, I’ll definitely look that one up. It sounds very interesting and something right up my alley. It’s great to be able to converse and meet other information enthusiasts from all over and share experiences. Thanks again!
country in a kind of creepy mummy did not improve
It is indeed quite creepy, but we have to keep in mind those were different times back then and the people’s beliefs were quite unusual compared to today.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I have seen all part of Hollywood’s famous Mummy series of movies. Land of pyramids always fascinates me so the every thing related to it. I enjoyed reading about Anubis and ancient dog mummies of ancient Egypt empire.
The Ancient history is fascinating Selena, I’m glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for dropping by.
Great post! I have nothing to say more and I have nothing to add some topic.
Thanks Igor, I appreciate the feedback!