Evidence for early cat taming in Egypt

Journal of Archaeological Science

Volumn 34, Issue 12, 2007, Pages 2081-2090

  Linseele, Veerle ^a   Van Neer, Wim ^a,b   Hendrickx, Stan ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN   (Belgium)

^b ROYAL BELGIAN INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCES   (Belgium)

^c PHL University College   (Belgium)

Author keywords

Archaeozoology; Cat; Domestication; Egypt; Hierakonpolis; Pathology; Predynastic

Indexed keywords

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE; CAPTIVITY; DOMESTICATION; FELID; PATHOLOGY; ZOOGEOGRAPHY;

AFRICA; EGYPT; NORTH AFRICA;

ANIMALIA; FELIDAE; FELIS SILVESTRIS;

EID: 35448965684     PISSN: 03054403     EISSN: 10959238     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2007.02.019     Document Type: Article

References (93)

1. Adams B. Two more lions from Upper Egypt: Hierakonpolis and Koptos. In: Friedman R., and Adams B. (Eds). The Followers of Horus-Studies Dedicated to Michael Allen Hoffman (1992), Oxbow Press, Oxford 69-76
2. Adams B. Elite graves in Hierakonpolis. In: Spencer J. (Ed). Aspects of Early Egypt (1996), British Museum Press, London 1-15
3. Adams B. Something very special down in the elite cemetery. Nekhen News 10 (1998) 3-4
4. Adams B. Unprecedented discoveries at Hierakonpolis. Egyptian Archaeology 15 (1999) 29-31
5. Adams B. Discovery of a Predynastic elephant burial at Hierakonpolis 1979-1985. Archaeology International 2 (1999) 46-50
6. Adams B. Excavations in the Locality 6 Cemetery at Hierakonpolis 1979-1985 (2000), BAR International Series 903, Oxford
7. Adams B. Some problems solved in the Locality 6 cemetery. Nekhen News 12 (2000) 4-7
8. Adams B. Excavations in the elite Predynastic cemetery at Hierakonpolis locality HK6: 1999-2000. Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Egypte 78 (2004) 35-52
9. Adams B., and Jaeschke R. The Koptos Lions. The Milwaukee Public Museum. Contributions in Anthropology and History 3 (1984), Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee
10. Amorosi T. A Postcranial Guide to Domestic Neo-natal and Juvenile Mammals-The Identification and Ageing of Old World Species (1989), BAR International Series 533, Oxford
11. Armitage P.L., and Clutton-Brock J. A radiological and histological investigation into the mummification of cats from ancient Egypt. Journal of Archaeological Science 8 2 (1981) 185-196
12. Asselberghs H. Chaos en Beheersing: Documenten uit Aeneolithisch Egypte (1962), Brill, Leiden
13. Baldwin J.A. Notes and speculations on the domestication of the cat in Egypt. Anthropos 70 (1975) 428-448
14. Beja-Pereira A., England P.R., Ferrand N., Jordan S., Bakhiet A.O., Abdalla M.A., Mashkour M., Jordana J., Taberlet P., and Luikart G. African origins of the domestic donkey. Science 304 (2004) 1781
15. Benecke N. Der Mensch und seine Haustiere-Die Geschichte einer jahrtausendealten Beziehung (1994), Theiss, Stuttgart
16. Bodson L. Les débuts en Europe du chat domestique. Ethnozootechnie 40 (1987) 13-38
17. Boessneck J. Die Tierwelt des Alten Ägypten (1988), C.H. Beck, Monaco
18. Boessneck J., and von den Driesch A. Die Tierknochenfunde. In: Dreyer G. (Ed). Umm el-Qaab: Nachuntersuchungen im frühzeitlichen Königsfriedhof. 3./4. Vorbericht. Abteilung Kairo 46 (1990), Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts 86-90
19. Boessneck, J., von den Driesch, A., 1992. Tell el Dab'a VII. Tiere und historische Umwelt im Nordost-Delta im 2. Jahrtausend v. Chr. anhand der Knochenfunde der Ausgrabungen 1975-1986. Untersuchungen der Zweigstelle Kairo des Österreichischen Archäologischen Institutes 10, Wien, pp. 102--106.
20. Boessneck J., von den Driesch A., and Ziegler R. Die Tierreste von Maadi und Wadi Digla. In: Rizkana I., and Seeher J. (Eds). Maadi III-The Non-lithic Small Finds and the Structural Remains of the Predynastic Settlement (1989), Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein 87-128
21. Boettger C.R. Die Haustiere Afrikas-Ihre Herkunft, Bedeutung und Aussichten bei der weiteren wirtschaftlichen Erschliessung des Kontinents (1958), Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena
22. Bökönyi S. History of Domestic Mammals in Central and Eastern Europe (1974), Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest
23. Brentjes B. Die Haustierwerdung im Orient (1965), Die Neue Brehm Bücherei, Wittenberg
24. Brunton G. Mostagedda and the Tasian Culture (1937), Bernard Quaritch, London
25. Brunton, G., Caton-Thompson, G., 1928. The Badarian Civilisation and Predynastic Remains near Badari. British School of Archaeology in Egypt and Egypt Research Account 46, London.
26. Cameron-Beaumont C., Lowe S.E., and Bradshaw J.W.S. Evidence suggesting preadaptation to domestication throughout the small Felidae. Biological Society of the Linnean Society 75 (2002) 361-366
27. Cialowicz K.M. La composition, le sens et la symbolique des scènes zoomorphes prédynastiques en relief-Les manches de couteaux. In: Friedman R., and Adams B. (Eds). The Followers of Horus-Studies Dedicated to Michael Allen Hoffman (1992), Oxbow Press, Oxford 247-258
28. Cialowicz K.M. Le manche de couteau de Gebel el-Arak-Le pro-blème de l'interprétation de l'art prédynastique. Essays in Honour of Prof. Dr. Jadwiga Lipinska. Warsaw Egyptological Studies I (1997), National Museum in Warsaw-"Pro-Egipt", Warsaw pp. 339-352
29. Clutton-Brock J. The spread of domestic animals in Africa. In: Shaw T., Sinclair P., Andah B., and Okpoko A. (Eds). The Archaeology of Africa-Food, Metals and Towns (1993), Routledge, New York 61-70
30. De Cupere B. Animals at Ancient Sagalassos. Studies in Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology 4 (2001), Brepols, Turnhout
31. Diamond J. Evolution, consequences and future of plant and animal domestication. Nature 418 (2002) 700-707
32. von den Driesch A. A guide to the measurement of animal bones from archaeological sites. Peabody Museum Bulletin 1 (1976), Harvard University, Harvard
33. Estes R.D. The Behavior Guide to African Mammals (1991), University of California Press, Berkeley
34. Figueiredo, Á., 2004. Locality HK6 at Hierakonpolis: Results of the 2000 field season. In: Hendrickx, S., Friedman, R., Cialowicz, K.M., Chlodnicki, M. (Eds.), Egypt at its Origins-Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams, Proceedings of the International Conference "Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", Krakow. 28th August-1st September 2002. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 138. Peeters Publishing, Leuven, pp. 1-23.
35. Flores, D.V., 2003. Funerary Sacrifice of Animals in the Egyptian Predynastic Period. BAR International Series 1153, Oxford.
36. Flores D.V. Funerary sacrifice of animals in the Egyptian Predynastic period. In: Hendrickx S., Friedman R., Cialowicz K.M., and Chlodnicki M. (Eds). Egypt at its Origins-Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams, Proceedings of the International Conference "Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", Krakow, 28th August-1st September 2002. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 138 (2004), Peeters Publishing, Leuven 731-765
37. Friedman R. Elephants at Hierakonpolis. In: Hendrickx S., Friedman R., Cialowicz K.M., and Chlodnicki M. (Eds). Egypt at its Origins-Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams, Proceedings of the International Conference "Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", Krakow, 28th August-1st September 2002. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 138 (2004), Peeters Publishing, Leuven 131-168
38. Friedman, R., in press. Excavating Egypt's early kings: recent discoveries in the elite cemetery at Hierakonpolis. In: Proceedings of the International Conference "Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", Toulouse, 5-8 September 2005.
39. Gautier A. La Domestication: et l'Homme Créa ses Animaux (1990), Editions Errance, Paris
40. Gautier A. Fauna, domesticated. In: Bard K.A., and Shubert S.B. (Eds). Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (1999), Routledge, London/New York 300-306
41. Gautier A. Animal remains and mummies from the necropolis of Elkab (Upper Egypt). Archaeofauna 14 (2005) 139-168
42. Goodman S.M., and Helmy I. The sand cat Felis margarita Loche, 1858 in Egypt. Mammalia 50 1 (1986) 120-123
43. Guggisberg C.A.W. Wild Cats of the World (1975), David and Charles, London
44. Habermehl K.-H. Die Altersbestimmung bei Versuchtieren (1980), Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg and Berlin
45. Hendrickx S. Bovines in Egyptian Predynastic and Early Dynastic iconography. In: Hassan F.A. (Ed). Droughts, Food and Culture. Ecological Change and Food Security in Africa's Later Prehistory (2002), Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York 275-318
46. Hendrickx, S., in press. The dog, the Lycaon pictus and order over chaos in Predynastic Egypt. In: Kroeper, K., Kobusiewicz, M. (Eds.), Archaeology of Early Northeastern Africa. Studies in African Archaeology 9.
47. Hendrickx S., and Depraetere D. A theriomorphic Predynastic stone jar and hippopotamus symbolism. In: Hendrickx S., Friedman R., Cialowicz K.M., and Chlodnicki M. (Eds). Egypt at its Origins-Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams, Proceedings of the International Conference "Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", Krakow, 28th August-1st September 2002. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 138 (2004), Peeters Publishing, Leuven 801-822
48. Hoffman, M.A., Lupton, C., Adams, B., 1982. Excavations at Locality 6. In: Hoffman, M.A., The Predynastic of Hierakonpolis-An Interim Report. Egyptian Studies Association 1, Cairo, pp. 38-60.
49. Hutterer R. Remarks on a presumed record of Felis margarita from Tenerife, Canary Islands. Vieraea 19 (1990) 169-174
50. Kammerzell, F., 1994. Panther, Löwe und Sprachentwicklung im Neolithikum-Bemerkungen zur Etymologie des ägyptischen Theonyms M3fd.t, zur Bildung einiger Raubtiernamen im Ägyptischen und zu einzelnen Grosskatzenbezeichnungen indoeuropäischer Sprachen. Lingua Aegyptia, Studia monographica 1, Seminar für Ägyptologie und Koptologie, Göttingen.
51. Kemp B.J. Ancient Egypt-Anatomy of a Civilization (2006), Routledge, London/New York
52. Kessler D. Die heiligen Tieren und der König. Teil I: Beiträge zu Organisation, Kult und Theologie der spätzeitliche Tierfriedhöfe. Ägypten und Altes Testament 16 (1989), Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden
53. Kingdon J. East African Mammals. An Atlas of Evolution in Africa, Vol. 3A (1977), Academic Press, London/New York/San Francisco
54. Kleinsgütl D. Feliden in Altägypten. Beiträge zur Ägyptologie 14 (1997), Universität Wien, Wien
55. Kratochvíl Z. Contents of neurocranium, weight and length of body of wild cat (Felis s. silvestris) and domestic cat (F. lybica f. catus). Folia Venatoria 7 (1977) 368-375
56. Kratochvíl Z. Analysis of correlations between two characters of the postcranial skeleton of Felis s. silvestris and F. lybica f. catus (Mammalia). Folia Zoologica 26 2 (1977) 115-128
57. Malek J. The Cat in Ancient Egypt (1993), British Museum Press, London
58. Mattern M.Y., and McLennan D.A. Phylogeny and speciation of felids. Cladistics 16 (2000) 232-253
59. McArdle, J., 1982. Preliminary report on the Predynastic fauna of the Hierakonpolis project. In: Hoffman, M.A., The Predynastic of Hierakonpolis-An Interim Report. Egyptian Studies Association 1, Cairo, pp. 116-121.
60. Mellaart, J., 1970. Excavations at Hacilar. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh (2 vols.).
61. Morey D.K. Burying key evidence: the social bond between dogs and people. Journal of Archaeological Science 33 2 (2006) 158-175
62. Morrison-Scott T.C.S. The mummified cats of ancient Egypt. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 121 (1952) 861-867
63. Murnane W.J. The Penguin Guide to Ancient Egypt (1983), Penguin Books, Harmondsworth
64. Osborn, D.J., Helmy, I., 1980. The Contemporary Land Mammals of Egypt (including Sinai). Fieldiana, Zoology, New Series 5.
65. Peet, T.E., 1914. The Cemeteries of Abydos, Part II, 1911-1912. Egypt Exploration Fund 34, London.
66. Petzsch H. Zur Problematik der Primärdomestikation der Hauskatze (Felis silvestris "familiaris"). In: Matolcsi J. (Ed). Domestikationsforschung und Geschichte der Haustiere (1973), Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 109-114
67. Raffaele F. An unpublished Early Dynastic stone vessel fragment with incised inscription naming the goddess Bastet. Cahiers Caribéens d'Egyptologie 7-8 (2005) 27-60
68. Randi E., and Ragni B. Genetic variability and biochemical systematics of domestic and wild cat populations (Felis silvestris: Felidae). Journal of Mammalogy 72 (1991) 79-88
69. Robinson R. Cat. In: Mason L. (Ed). Evolution of Domesticated Animals (1984), Longman, London 217-225
70. Röhrs M. Vergleichende Untersuchungen an Wild- und Hauskatzen. Zoologischer Anzeigen 155 3-4 (1955) 53-69
71. Rothwell T. Evidence for taming of cats-Response to J.-D. Vigne and J. Guilaine. Science 305 5691 (2004) 1714
72. Russell N. The wild side of animal domestication. Society and animals 10 3 (2002) 285-302
73. Salles L.O. Felid phylogenetics: extant taxa and skull morphology (Felidae, Aeluroidae). American Museum Novitates 3047 (1992) 1-67
74. Säve-Söderberg T. On Egyptian representations of hippopotamus hunting as a religious motive. Horae Soederblomianae 3 (1953), C.W.K. Gleerup, Lund
75. Schauenberg P. Données nouvelles sur le chat des sables Felis margarita, Loche, 1858. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 81 4 (1974) 949-969
76. Sievertsen U. Das Messer vom Gebel el-Arak. Baghdader Mitteilungen 23 (1992) 1-75
77. Smith R.N. Fusion of the ossification centres in the cat. Journal of Small Animal Practice 10 (1969) 523-530
78. Spencer A.J. Catalogue of Egyptian Antiquities in the British Museum. V. Early Dynastic Objects (1980), British Museum Press, London
79. Udrescu M., and Van Neer W. Looking for human therapeutic intervention in the healing of fractures of domestic animals. In: Davies J., Fabis M., Mainland I., Richards M., and Thomas R. (Eds). Diet and Health in Past Animal Populations-Current Research and Future Directions (2004), Oxbow books, Oxford 24-33
80. Uerpmann, H.-P., 1991. Equus africanus in Arabia. In: Meadow, R.H., Uerpmann, H.-P. (Eds.), Equids in the Ancient World II. Beihefte zum Tübinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients, Reihe A (Naturwissenschaften) 19 (2), pp. 12-33.
81. Van Neer W. Le matériel faunique. In: Midant-Reynes B., and Buchez N. (Eds). Adaïma. 1. Economie et Habitat. Fouilles de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale 45 (2002), Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Cairo 521-565
82. Van Neer W., and Linseele V. New analyses of old bones-The faunal remains from Hierakonpolis. Nekhen News 14 (2002) 7-8
83. Van Neer W., Linseele V., and Friedman R. Animal burials and food offerings at the elite cemetery HK6 of Hierakonpolis. In: Hendrickx S., Friedman R., Cialowicz K.M., and Chlodnicki M. (Eds). Egypt at its Origins-Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams, Proceedings of the International Conference "Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt", Krakow, 28th August-1st September 2002. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 138 (2004), Peeters Publishing, Leuven 67-130
84. Vigne J.-D. Biogéographie insulaire et anthropozoologie des sociétés néolithiques méditerranéennes: hérisson, renard et micromammifères. Anthropozoologica 8 (1988) 31-52
85. Vigne J.-D., and Guilaine J. Les premiers animaux de compagnie, 8500 ans avant notre ère? ... ou comment j'ai mangé mon chat, mon chien et mon renard. Anthropozoologica 39 1 (2004) 249-273 (in French with English abstract)
86. Vigne J.-D., Guilaine J., Debue K., Haye L., and Gérard P. Early taming of the cat in Cyprus. Science 309 (2004) 259
87. Vilà C., Leonard J.A., and Beja-Pereira A. Genetic documentation of horse and donkey domestication. In: Zeder M., Bradley D.G., Emshwiller E., and Smith B.D. (Eds). Documenting Domestication-New Genetic and Archaeological Paradigms (2006), University of California Press, Berkeley 342-353
88. Warman S. How now large cow?. Nekhen News 12 (2000) 8-9
89. Warman S. Predynastic Egyptian bovid burial in the elite cemetery at Hierakonpolis. In: O'Day S.J., Van Neer W., and Ervynck A. (Eds). Behaviour behind Bones-The Zooarchaeology of Ritual, Religion, Status and Identity (2003), Oxbow books, Oxford 34-40
90. Westendorf W. Die Pantherkatze Mafdet. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 118 (1968) 248-256
91. Wilkinson T.A.H. Early Dynastic Egypt (1999), Routledge, London/New York
92. Zeuner F.E. Dog and cat in the Neolithic of Jericho. Palestine Exploration Fund. Quarterly Statement 90 (1958) 52-55
93. Zeuner F.E. Geschichte der Haustiere (1967), BLV, München