Cats ruled in ancient Egypt—and not just in their own minds. These clever, graceful creatures were so deeply respected by the Egyptians that harming one could lead to severe punishment, even death. But why did the Egyptians hold cats in such high regard?
It wasn’t just because they were cute; cats played a crucial role in protecting the country’s grain stores from pests. As guardians of Egypt’s food supply, they were seen as sacred animals. The Egyptians honored them through Bastet, the cat-headed goddess of protection, the home and fertility.
Egyptians didn’t just love cats; they worshipped them. Cats lived in luxury, wearing jewelry and eating from their owners’ plates. When a family’s cat died, everyone would shave their eyebrows in mourning. Cats were even mummified with great care. Archaeologists have found entire cat cemeteries with thousands of mummified cats, some even buried with tiny mummies of mice for their journey to the afterlife.
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The most extraordinary example of the Egyptians’ devotion to cats comes from the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BC. The Persian king Cambyses II knew about the Egyptians’ love for cats and used it to his advantage. He ordered his soldiers to march with cats in front of them as hostages. When the Egyptians saw this, they couldn’t bear to harm the sacred animals and chose to surrender instead of fighting. This led to Egypt falling under Persian rule.
Now that’s what we call being a cat person! Modern cat lovers might spoil their pets, but they’ve got nothing on the ancient Egyptians.
貓咪統治了古埃及──而且不只是在牠們自己的想像中！這些聰明、優雅的生物深受埃及人尊敬，以至於傷害一隻貓可能會導致嚴厲的懲罰，甚至是死刑。但為什麼埃及人如此尊崇貓咪呢？
這不僅僅是因為牠們可愛；貓在保護埃及的穀物儲備免受害蟲侵害方面扮演了至關重要的角色。作為埃及糧食供應的守護者，牠們被視為神聖的動物。埃及人透過女神芭絲特來敬拜貓，芭絲特是保護、家庭和生育的貓頭女神。
埃及人不僅僅愛貓；他們還敬拜貓。貓過著奢華的生活，戴著珠寶，從主人的盤子裡吃飯。當家裡的貓去世時，全家人都會剃掉眉毛來哀悼。貓甚至被精心製作成木乃伊。考古學家發現了整座貓墓地，裡面有數千隻被製作成木乃伊的貓，有些甚至還與小老鼠的木乃伊一起埋葬，以供應牠們的來世之旅！
埃及人對貓的熱愛最非凡的例子來自於西元前 525 年的培琉喜阿姆戰役。波斯國王坎比塞斯二世知道埃及人對貓的愛，並利用了這一點。他命令士兵們將貓作為人質，讓貓走在隊伍前面。當埃及人看到這一幕時，他們無法忍心傷害這些神聖的動物，便選擇投降而不是戰鬥。這使得埃及落入波斯的統治之下。
這才是我們所說的貓奴！現代的貓奴雖然寵愛他們的寵物，但與古埃及人相比還差得遠呢！
MORE INFORMATION
Egyptian n. 埃及人
store n. 儲備量
fertility n. 生育力
mourning n. 哀痛；哀悼
mummify v. 把……製成木乃伊
archaeologist n. 考古學家
afterlife n. 死後的生活；來世
Persian adj. 波斯的
KEY VOCABULARY
1. graceful adj. 優雅的；優美的
► The dancer’s movements were so graceful that the audience couldn’t take their eyes off her.
這名舞者的動作非常優雅，讓觀眾目不轉睛。
2. pest n. 害蟲；有害的動物
► Mosquitoes are a common pest in tropical countries, especially during the rainy season.
蚊子是熱帶國家常見的害蟲，尤其是在雨季期間。
3. worship v. 崇拜；敬奉
► The ancient king was worshipped as a hero for his brave deeds.
那位古代國王因其英勇事蹟被崇拜為英雄。
4. shave v. 剃去毛髮；刮鬍子
► Louis carefully shaves his beard every morning to maintain a clean and professional appearance at work.
路易斯每天早上小心地刮鬍子，以保持工作場合整潔專業的形象。
5. cemetery n. 墓地
► Many families visit the cemetery during holidays to pay respect to their ancestors.
許多家庭在節日期間拜訪墓地，向祖先致敬。
6. extraordinary adj. 非凡的；特別的
► The view from the mountain was extraordinary, with endless fields and a colorful sunset.
從山上看到的景色非常壯麗，有無盡的田野和色彩繽紛的日落。
7. devotion n. 熱愛；奉獻
► Cynthia’s devotion to classical music led her to practice piano for hours every single day.
辛西亞對古典音樂的熱愛使她每天都花數小時練習鋼琴。
8. hostage n. 人質
► The police negotiated with the robbers to free the hostages safely.
警方與搶匪談判，以安全釋放人質。
9. surrender v. 投降
► The soldiers had no choice but to surrender when they ran out of food and water.
士兵們在食物和水用盡時別無選擇，只能投降。
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