First lion mummy found!

[WebenBanu]

Original article has pictures: http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/01/14/lion.mummy.ap/

First lion mummy found in tomb near King Tut

Originally published Wednesday, January 14, 2004

(AP) --For the first time, archaeologists have discovered a preserved lion skeleton in an ancient Egyptian tomb, demonstrating the exalted reputation enjoyed by the king of beasts more than 3,000 years ago.

A research team led by French archaeologist Alain Zivie found the lion's remains in 2001 as they excavated the tomb of Maia, wet nurse to Tutankhamun, the "boy king" popular with museum visitors today for his opulent gold funeral relics. He ruled for 10 years and died around 1323 B.C.

"It confirms the status of the lion as a sacred animal," Zivie reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Inscriptions in ancient Egypt mention the breeding and burial of lions, but no lion remains previously had been found, said Zivie, who is with the French Archaeological Mission of the Bubasteion.

The tombs associated with King Tut are situated in a burial ground south of Cairo, across the Nile River from Memphis, ancient Egypt's first capital. Zivie found Maia's elaborate tomb in 1996.

The complete and undisturbed lion skeleton was found in an area of the tomb dedicated to the cat goddess Bastet. The section also contained vast quantities of bones of humans and animals, including many cats.

The lion's bones were not wrapped in linen bandages familiar to human mummies. But the bones' position, along with their coloration and mineral deposits on their surface, are similar to those of other mummified cats discovered elsewhere at the burial ground.

Zivie said the worn condition of the bones and teeth suggest it lived to an old age and was kept in captivity. The lion is not believed to have belonged to Maia.

The lion may have been considered an incarnation of the god Mahes, the son of Bastet, Zivie said.

Hunters nearly exterminated regional lion populations by 1100 B.C. Commemorative artwork has been found telling of how the pharaoh Amenhotep III killed more than 100 lions during a single hunt. Ramses the Great had a pet lion named Slayer of his Foes.

An Egyptologist who did not work on the specimen said the discovery is an important addition to knowledge of ancient ritual.

Archaeologists previously have found vast cemeteries for baboons, ibis, fish, smaller cats, dogs and crocodiles. Mummifying a large animal like a lion would have been an expensive and elaborate task.

"This is not any old lion. It's an important lion," said Emily Teeter, an Egyptologist at the University of Chicago.

Other researchers said Zivie's report leaves several questions unanswered.

Robert Pickering, a forensic anthropologist with the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, said the bones' discoloration is irrelevant because they would have been affected by the tomb's environment over thousands of years. The lack of linen wrapping and soft tissue preservation also does not support mummification, he said.

"It seems to be treated different from other animals that were entombed as part of ritual," Pickering said. "Maybe this lion's importance is as a family pet rather than as a representative of a god. The context doesn't seem to fit."

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.  

[Lokun]

That was intresting! biggrin Now when i know it, it seems so obvious that the egyptians must've mummified lions. But this is the first one ever found? Strange... confused

Besides, i love Lions 3nodding Born in the starsign of cours *proud* lol  

[Nevira Shadowfire]

I want a pet lion emo

But I wonder why it wasn't wrapped in bandages if it "proves the lion was a sacred animal." Were the bandages removed, was it wrapped in something different that disintegrated over time, or were the mummers out of bandages that day? confused  

[Rennie`]

Nevira Shadowfire

I want a pet lion emo

Same as! I'm reading the book Ramses: The Temples of A Million Years and I want Ramses's pet lion!! How cool would it be to have your own lion to protect you!


Anyway back on subject isn't Sekhmet depicted as a lion? If so then that could be why there was a mummified lion in the tomb, maybe Tut's pet too?  

[WebenBanu]

Nevira Shadowfire

But I wonder why it wasn't wrapped in bandages if it "proves the lion was a sacred animal." Were the bandages removed, was it wrapped in something different that disintegrated over time, or were the mummers out of bandages that day? confused

Yeah, that seems odd to me too. It's true that among the common people bodies were not always bandaged, but if it's a sacred animal you'd think they'd go all out. Unless perhaps it was a votive offering from a very poor person, maybe, but I'd think that a very poor person wouldn't have access to a lion in the first place. In the second place, this was a royal wet nurse, so I doubt that she lived in the depths of poverty. When mummies are bandaged, they're usually coated over with a resin which holds the bandages in place and keeps them from deteriorating, I think. This is a very puzzling- as well as inspiring- find.

It amazes me, too, that we have only this one representative of a mummified lion- given that so many goddesses and several gods did have lion forms. Perhaps the sacred animal cults were restricted to animals which could be counted on not to eat the pilgrims? But in that case, the crocodiles would seem a bit iffy to me, and we have mummified examples of them.

Rennie'

Anyway back on subject isn't Sekhmet depicted as a lion?

Yes, she was- and so were several other goddesses who carried the title "Eye of Ra," including Tefnut and Bast. It's interesting to me that this tomb has an area which is "dedicated to Bast," I hadn't really heard of that happening before... though I suppose I have heard of "chapels" to gods or goddesses being appended to royal tombs. It may make sense for a wet nurse to have a chapel devoted to Bast, since Bast was a protector of women and children- her images were present during birthings to protect the mother and her child, so perhaps she had a special relationship with wet nurses as well. Her son, Mahes, was more frequently depicted as a lion than Bast was... so it may be that the lion is more likely associated with him than with Bast, even though Bast certainly took the form of a lioness (and possibly a lion) on occasion.  

[Nevira Shadowfire]

WebenBanu

It amazes me, too, that we have only this one representative of a mummified lion- given that so many goddesses and several gods did have lion forms. Perhaps the sacred animal cults were restricted to animals which could be counted on not to eat the pilgrims? But in that case, the crocodiles would seem a bit iffy to me, and we have mummified examples of them.

It may have something to do with how difficult it is to procure a lion. Crocodiles were not uncommon in the Nile, so there was probably a tried-and-true method of bagging one. They might even have stolen baby crocodiles from their clutch after they hatched, since crocodiles are independent of their parents from birth. (This also supports my observation that crocodile mummies are always smaller than I envision them to be.)

Lions may not have been as available close to home, and so capturing one was probably a big deal. Most of them probably went to the pharaoh and/or nobles for pets or private menageries as a live trophy. Then, once they were done showing them off to guests or the lion died of disease/old age/malnutrition/what-have-you, the lion was skinned and the pelt used for a fur wrap or rug.

This lion must have been like a member of the family for it to be buried so. Or, it was a gift to the wet nurse from Tut that she kept with her to her grave.  

[WebenBanu]

That's a really good point, Nevira- I hadn't considered the relative difficulty of finding a lion in the region.