Why did the Egyptians mummify animals? "The ancient Egyptians loved animals so much that they embalmed them as if they were people both to be accompanied in eternal life and to offer them to the gods". Salima Ikram In ancient Egypt, the corpses of the deceased were mummified so that they could be preserved intact in the afterlife. The body thus acted as a physical refuge for the soul and the dead became a divine being, capable of living eternally. But it wasn't just people who were mummified: some animals were also subjected to this process. The museums preserve a large number of mummies of the most diverse species, from dung beetles to fish, from cats to crocodiles and bulls. As the incarnation of the god Thoth, the baboon was cared for and fed by the priests. After his death he was embalmed to be venerated in the catacombs of Tuna el-Gebel, in Upper Egypt. Mummification is basically a process of drying and eliminating fats to...