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Mass Grave Of Eight Million Mummified Dogs Unearthed Near Cairo

June 24, 2015
Mummified Dog

Approximately eight million mummified dogs have recently been unearthed from a mass grave discovered by archaeologists in the 19th century, according to a new study. The Discovery News Website reported on Friday that these catacombs were found in Saqqara (a burial ground in Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis) next to the sacred temple of Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death in Egyptian mythology. The catacombs contained both mummified puppies and grown dogs. Many of the mummies, since being discovered, have disintegrated or were likely disrupted by grave robbers who may have used them as fertilizer. Paul Nicholson, the study’s lead researcher and a professor of archaeology at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, told Live Science that, “it [Saqqara] would have been a busy place: a permanent community of people living there supported by the animal cults.” A question one may ponder is why an ancient Egyptian would have brought an animal to Saqqara to begin with? Nicholson explained that the display of these mummies was likely viewed as expressions of gratitude to the ancient Egyptian gods by pilgrims visiting Saqqara. Another reason stated was that ancient Egyptians would bring…


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