Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old pet cemetery in the ruins of a remote Egyptian town. It includes the remains of dogs, cats and even monkeys.
Although it is not uncommon to find animals buried by ancient Egyptians, these are usually interred near to their owners. So far, archaeologists have only identified the remains of two humans nearby, likely buried three hundred years after the animals.
The careful treatment of the animals’ bodies suggests an “emotional (relationship) between men and pets as we know it today,” Marta Osypińska of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who authored a study about the find, told USA Today.
The archaeologists discovered the find while excavating a nearby trash dump. As they noted the careful way in which the animals were buried and positioned, they realized it was an intentional burial site.
While other mass burial grounds for pets have been found in Egypt, those were used for religious purposes. For instance, an ancient catacomb containing millions of mummified dogs has previously been discovered. But, this is believed to have been used for religious purposes. The dogs would have been sold to pilgrims to use in rituals.
The locations of the site is also interesting to the archaeologists. Berenike was “way out on the edge of nowhere,” Steven Sidebotham, who directs research at the site, said. He explained that most of the town's food was imported from hundreds of miles away.
"What makes this unique is (despite) the very rough circumstances in which these people are living, they still manage to find the time and effort to have companion animals with them.”