Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered what they believe are two mummified lion cubs , in an incredible world first.
The mummified lions were discovered in a tomb full of cat statues and cat mummies in Saqqara, by researchers from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
An initial analysis indicates that the lions date back around 2,600 years.
Mostafa Waziri, who led the study, said: “This is the first time [that a] complete mummy of a lion or lion cub has been found in Egypt.”
The lions measure just under one metre in length, indicating that they were just cubs when they died.
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Three other large mummies buried alongside the lions are believed to belong to leopards, cheetahs or other big cats, while 20 smaller mummies are believed to belong to smaller cats.
The researchers also discovered a range of statues near the burials, many of which depict cats.
Mr Waziri said: “Most of them [are] well painted, well decorated and some were inlaid with gold.”
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One of the most notable statues depicts the goddess Neith – the goods of the city of Sais, which was the capital of Egypt during the 26th dynasty.
This finding in particular helped the researchers to estimate the tomb’s date of around 2,600 years old.
Another key finding was a huge scarab-shaped artefact that is more than 30cm in diameter. Amazingly, the researchers believe that this could be the largest example ever found in Egypt!
Cats were held in the highest esteem by the Ancient Egyptians.
Many people wanted to take their cats with them into the afterlife, so often mummified them and put them in their tombs with them.
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