Most Incredible Animal Mummies From Egypt

The word “mummy” was derived from the Persian/Arabic word mummiya, which means “tar,” as the ancient Arabs initially thought that the weirdly wrapped bodies uncovered from their ancient tombs were covered in the sticky black substance. However, the ancient Egyptians not only mummified their deceased human counterparts but also mummified animals—in the millions.From sacrifices made to the gods to pets buried together with their owners, the eventual nationwide mania around the animal mummification industry came to require such large numbers of live animals that large-scale farms, resources, and extra staff to breed and look after an incredible range of animals almost became the norm. Over 70 million animals were mummified and buried in Egypt’s catacombs. We thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the most incredible mummified animals discovered so far.