Jan 23, 2021
How Ancient Egypt Lost Its Independence Because of Cats
A dedication that changed their future
If an animal easily comes to mind when one thinks of Egypt, it is the little feline known as a cat. It is probably why people jokingly associate cats with royalty and dominance over their human keepers.
This love and dedication to taking care of cats came to bite back the Ancient Egyptians and eventually cost them their independence. How did something as simple as treating cats well lead to the demise of one of the world’s most iconic lands?
Religion
The walls of Ancient Egyptian buildings are lined with elaborate paintings that represented the daily lives of the Egyptians. Cats are featured quite often. Busts of cats were made in intricate detail to emulate what their real-life counterparts looked like. All of this awe was tied down to the polytheistic religion of Egypt.
Felines were found all over Egypt ranging from lions to panthers to small cats. Cats really caught the Egyptians' eye as they were ferocious hunters who were able to hunt down prey in granaries and homesteads, while also being graceful and gentle enough to live hand in hand with humans.
Contrary to popular belief, the cats were not worshipped. The Egyptians modeled some of their gods from cats. For this very reason, the goddess Bastet was considered the goddess of family, home, and even domesticity. Cats protected the households from the perils of scorpions, snakes, and other pests.
This veneration leads us to the next string of events that served as an Achille’s heel to the entirety of the empire.
The Battle of Pelusium: 525 B.C.
Psametik III was the Pharaoh of Egypt at this time. He had ascended the throne after the death of his father, Amasis. It was unfortunate that he ascended to the throne between a great diplomatic rift between Egypt and the Achaemenid empire (Persians).
He was ill-experienced in comparison to his father, who was a competent adversary to the Persians. This did not deter him. The odds were so stacked against him that it did not seem possible that he would hold down the empire. His Greek allies had left him while his father’s military adviser had turned his back on Egypt and joined the Persians.
When he heard of the Persian advance under King Cambyses II, he did not cower in fear. He quickly arranged for the fortification of the capital, Memphis, and arranged provisions for his military as he was aware of this war's gravity.
Another point that he fortified and acquired enough provisions for was Pelusium, where he anticipated the Persian attack. As the battle raged on, the Egyptians were being successful, and it seemed as if they were actually going to have a decisive win against the Persians at certain points of the war.
This was until Egypt’s adversary, Cambyses II, introduced psychological intimidation to the mix. The Persian king was aware of Egypt’s beliefs and religious inclinations. Thus, he had his soldiers paint Bastet’s image on their shields. According to Polyaenus (a Macedonian author), another thing introduced to the war was animals held dear in Egyptian religious practices, including dogs, sheep, and ibis birds.
Consequently, they had two distinct spheres of warfare. One affected the mind once they saw their goddess painted on their enemies’ shields. The second one was physical as the Egyptian warriors were mainly trying to evade harming the animals and thus couldn’t fight effectively. They took off in a run, and it was a blood bath.
These were not the only factors that contributed to the weak retaliation. The Persians had more people fighting for them, as Greeks and Arabs also joined their ranks.
Egypt fell to the Achaemenid empire, and it effectively lost its independence because of its deep respect for cats and other religious animals. That point in history led to Egypt’s constant conquests for most of its subsequent history.
Sources
[1]Mark, Joshua J. “The Battle of Pelusium: A Victory Decided by Cats.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified June 13, 2017. https://www.ancient.eu/article/43/the-battle-of-pelusium-a-victory-decided-by-cats/.
[2]Barbash, Yekaterina. “Cats, Bastet and the Worship of Feline Gods.” American Research Center in Egypt | American Research Center In Egypt. Accessed January 18, 2021. https://www.arce.org/resource/cats-bastet-and-worship-feline-gods.
[3]Forster, Edward Seymour. “Dogs in ancient warfare.” Greece & Rome 10, no. 30 (1941): 114–117.
