Do you know where in Egypt these animal mummies are from?
The ibis was excavated at Abydos, an important religious and funerary site in Upper Egypt.
How and why did they mummify animals?
Animals were mummified much the same way humans were. The internal organs would be removed and the body would be treated with salt to dry it out. Later it would be wrapped and covered with resin. Frequently, what were sold as animal mummies were "false" mummies; the ibis here, for example, is just some feathers and stuffing wrapped up in linen.
The mummies were believed to deliver one's wishes, gratitude, of messages to the gods, animal mummies functioned as votive offerings to the gods and the deceased.
What Is this?
This is a mummified ibis, a type of bird associated with the god Thoth. Animals with associated with divinities were mummified in Ancient Egypt in the Late and ptolemaic periods.
Mummies of certain animals, like this ibis, could have been used as a offering in order to deliver one's wishes to the gods. Notice that the wrappings are very elaborate and the mummy even has a mask and a crown.
Do you have any other special information about mummified animals?
Certainly! It is believed that most animal mummies were created as offerings to various gods. Sometimes the wealthy could mummify their pets to be buried with them, too.
Is there a specific reason to offer animals to the gods?
Offerings of food, animals and other objects were made to the gods for a multitude of reasons. People would make offerings while asking a god for assistance or to thank a god for something good. Certain animals were offered to certain gods, and at certain times. For example, the ibis being offered to Thoth which I just described. Another example is during a funeral procession when sometimes a jackal's skin would be placed in an offering to Anubis, who is often represented as a jackal, and is believed to be the guardian of mummies.
Cool that makes sense
It makes complete sense to want to offer something special to Anubis so he would protect your mummy and safely escort you to the netherworld!
Is an ibis a bird?
An ibis is a bird, you're correct. Mummified ibis' that are found at cult sites to gods such as Thoth (who was associated with the ibis) were likely offerings to the god either as a token of thanks or to gain favor with Thoth.
If you look closely at all three animals, the ibis is the most elaborately wrapped of the three. This could help us understand the importance of the ibis.
What is this?
This is an ibis mummy! It's in an elaborately-woven casing and features a head formed out of resin.
Offerings of animal mummies were incredibly common in ancient Egypt's later periods. They would be offered to the gods with whom the animal was associated. For instance, the ibis was associated with the god Thoth, who could be shown with the head of the animal.
The animal mummies are so fascinating! I was surprised to learn that the more elaborate the mummy's wrappings are, the less likely it is that there is a complete animal inside.
Oh wow, that is interesting. Like this for example?
This mummy contains a complete ibis. You can compare it to the extremely elaborate (and beautiful!) ibis mummy in the last room which has a resin mask and headdress, but only contains feathers!
It appears that there may have been some corrupt priests working in the temples that sold these mummies to the public.
Wow how rude! Corruption.
Why was the ibis so important to the ancient Egyptians?
The ibis was connected with Thoth, the god of wisdom and knowledge. He also had dominion over the by products of wisdom and knowledge such as writing literacy and magic.
He became associated with the ibis because its long beak resembled the shape of a scribes writing implement. It also had associations with the crescent moon and therefor another connection to knowledge, through the study of
astronomy.
Many of these animal mummies date to relatively late in Egyptian history, a period of cultural change when foreign rulers took power in Egypt. In these times of uncertainty and flux, it makes sense that people would seek advice from the wise god Thoth, which is why there were so many ibis mummies!
Why were ibises such common mummy sacrifices?
Ibises were so common because Egyptians, especially during the time period represented, wanted to send a lot of messages to the god Thoth with whom the ibis was associated.
He was the god of wisdom and "the Librarian of the Sky," which also meant that he knew the future and could provide guidance. Much of what you see in Soulful Creatures comes from an uncertain time in Egyptian history when they were frequently under foreign rule.
