Did the ancient Egyptians worship animals?
As a rule, the Egyptians did not worship animals themselves, but rather the divine forces they represented. Because each god could manifest himself or herself as a particular species of animal, creatures of all sorts–dogs, cats, ibises, crocodiles–were protected, venerated, mummified at death, and buried by the thousands in special animal cemeteries. The sacred bull cults were different, for in their case an individual animal rather than the whole species was worshipped. Chief among these was the Apis bull, associated with Ptah, the god of Memphis, and other deities. When an Apis bull died, it was given a magnificent funeral like a king. Then the priests searched for a successor, identified by specific physical traits. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the Apis bull was black, with white markings resembling a diamond on its forehead and the image of an eagle on its back, double hairs on its tail, and a scarab under its tongue. The Apis bull was worshipped from the e
——————————————————————————– Where were the pharaohs buried? In the Old and Middle Kingdoms (2628-1638 BC), Egyptian kings were buried in pyramids. About 50 royal pyramids have survived. They were built on the desert edge, west of the ancient capital of Memphis. The earliest is the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara; the later pyramids, such as the Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, are smooth sided. Most of the pyramids are much smaller than the Great Pyramid and less well preserved; all were plundered in antiquity. In the New Kingdom (1504-1069 BC), the pharaohs built their tombs in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes. Not pyramids, these tombs were tunnels cut deep into the natural rock. Of the 23 royal tombs in the Valley, only that of Tutankhamen, discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter, kept its treasure, virtually intact, until modern times. After 1069 BC, there were no more royal burials in the Valley of the Kings
