Votives

Have you ever lit a candle in a church? Maybe for a family member or a friend, to make a prayer, or to thank your god(s) for something in your life? Then you are closer to our mummy than you might think.

This animal (or these animals, as we now know) was not mummified because it was someone’s pet. So what function did it serve? With all that we now know, we can conclude that this specimen is a so-called votive mummy.

The tradition of votive mummies was very popular in ancient Egypt, and particularly flourished during the Late Period to the Roman Period (± 7th century BCE - 4th century CE). These animal mummies were ‘gifted’ to the gods at temples or other sacred sites and were supposed to serve as intermediaries between the gods and the humans who were making a request or expressing thanks. When humans offered these animals to them, the gods would treat them favorably. Some gods preferred certain animals, ones that were specifically linked to them or looked like them (and were thus especially functional in prayers to them), like ibises for the god Thoth, cats for Bastet, dogs for Anubis, and falcons for Horus (see figs. 1-4, and notice also their beautifully elaborate and diverse wrappings!).S. Ikram, Divine creatures: animal mummies in ancient Egypt (Cairo, 2005). These votive animal mummies were so incredibly numerous that in the 19th century, they were often used as fertilizer, fuel, or ballast for ships.

Now, not every ancient Egyptian was breeding falcons and ibises in their backyard to offer to the gods, of course. The animals could be purchased at shrines and temples from priests who were breeding certain animals there in order to kill, mummify, and sell. Pilgrims passing by the temple could purchase a mummy, which the priests would then offer to the gods on their behalf. The priests would usually save them up and deposit many at once, for example once a year during festivals.S. Ikram, Divine creatures: animal mummies in ancient Egypt (Cairo, 2005).

There were various degrees of luxury in the animal mummies that were for sale. Animals could be simply dipped in resin, wrapped in simple linen bandages, decorated with patterns or paintings, encased in cartonnage masks and coffins or even have their own tiny sarcophagi. This was a choice to be made by the buyer, probably depending on the importance of their request or prayer, and the amount of money they had at their disposal. S. Ikram, Divine creatures: animal mummies in ancient Egypt (Cairo, 2005).

This may sound like a very gruesome, ancient, and generally weird practice, but you could compare it to a very well-known one: buying and lighting a candle in a church. Or maybe depositing flowers, cards, and teddy-bears at the site of an accident. These gifts, like our votive mummies, serve to connect to a god, ‘support’ a prayer, or simply to remember or give thanks.

Interestingly though, this function adds an economic element to the story of our mummy, which brings us one step closer to the why of the deception.