Reconstruct the History of the domestication of an animal species It is never easy, and that of cats It is probably even more complicated than that of dogs. In 2001 we thought we had found the definitive answer: the Finding to Cyprus of a feline lived 9,500 years ago e buried together with a human He suggested that everything began on the Mediterranean island. Now, a new study published on BIORXIV And waiting for Peer Review, it claims that that idea should be reviewed, and report the focus on Egypt – and on a decidedly more bloody reality than the one that sees The abdominal cats because they are excellent guard animals against mice and rats.
Not in Cyprus, but in Egypt
The hypothesis of Cyprus, who dated The first domestic feline At an era in which Egypt did not yet exist, he claimed that The cats had been domesticated because they are useful to guard the barnsand that the first farmers had welcomed them in their homes for this reason. A new analysis of the bones of the cats of Cyprus, however, claims it was not of Felis Lybicathe most direct ancestor of Felis Catus (the current domestic cat), but of Felis Silvestristhe wild cat.
It is therefore possible that The cats found in Cyprus were of another speciesat the first stages of domestication (which could also be failed). The first true traces of Felis Lybica Instead they bring again to Egypt, and about 3,000 years ago, not almost 10,000. And according to the study, The protection of the barns would have nothing to do with it: The domestication would take place because Cats were fundamental for Bastet’s culta goddess that originally had the head of lion who over time became that of a cat.
Cats raised to be sacrificed
What do cats have to do with bastet? The explanation is quite bloody: The felines were raised en masse to then be sacrificed And mummifiedso as to create “votive mummies” that decorated the temples of the goddess. The study claims that, in this context, there was a very strong selective pressure in favor of the most docile cats and able to live with other felines and humans.
The hypothesis is fascinating, but already has its critics: Egyptologist Julia Troche, for example, pointed out that there are representations of domestic cats dating back to 4,000 years ago, Before the birth of Bastet’s cult. We do not know if these images wanted to represent cats already domesticated or still “in the course of work”, but they would however suggest that the domestication path has been what we believed so far – with the felines that have placed ourselves at home because our grains swarmed with mice.
A decidedly less bloody interpretation than What the tamed cats want to become mummies.
