Cats of the Pharaohs: Genetic Comparison of Egyptian Cat Mummies to their Feline Contemporaries

Abstract

The ancient Egyptians mummified an abundance of cats during the Late Period (664 - 332 BC). The overlapping morphology and sizes of developing wildcats and domestic cats confounds the identity of mummified cat species. Genetic analyses should support mummy identification and was conducted on two long bones and a mandible of three cats that were mummified by the ancient Egyptians. The mummy DNA was extracted in a dedicated ancient DNA laboratory at the University of California - Davis, then directly sequencing between 246 and 402 bp of the mtDNA control region from each bone. When compared to a dataset of wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris, F. s. tristrami, and F. chaus) as well as a previously published worldwide dataset of modern domestic cat samples, including Egypt, the DNA evidence suggests the three mummies represent common contemporary domestic cat mitotypes prevalent in modern Egypt and the Middle East. Divergence estimates date the origin of the mummies' mitotypes to between two and 7.5 thousand years prior to their mummification, likely prior to or during Egyptian Predyanstic and Early Dynastic Periods. These data are the first genetic evidence supporting that the ancient Egyptians used domesticated cats, F. s. catus, for votive mummies, and likely implies cats were domesticated prior to extensive mummification of cats.

Figure 1. Mummified cat bones for mtDNA CR analysis

Top) Primary encasement, Middle) Right mandible, left femur, left humerus, Bottom) radiological images. Fmu1 was supplied by the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology in Berkeley, CA, and Fmu2 and Fmu3 from the collection of the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY.

Figure 2. Distribution and mitotype network of modern worldwide cat populations

Fmu1 is mitotype G. Fmu2 is mitotype C. Fmu3 is mitotype D, or derived mitotype J. All mummy mitotypes represent a grouping distinct from the most common mitotype A (adapted from Grahn et al., 2011). Pie charts represent the percentage of each mitotype found at each location by Grahn et al., 2011. Gray color (as seen predominantly in Germany and Italy) represents the unique mitotypes.