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On 22 February, Medelhavsmuseet - the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities - will be opening its major permanent exhibition, offering a tour through 7,000 years of Egyptian history. The exhibition depicts the environment in which the objects once belonged, featuring the voices and thoughts of the people who created them and used them. More than 1,600 objects are being exhibited, many of which were not on display before. Together with new films and the very latest research and 3D technology, it will help to shed new light on ancient Egypt.

The exhibition emphasises the continuity in the history of Egypt. The main focus is on the long and well-known pharaonic period. But Egypt did not cease to be Egypt after the last pharaohs. Mediaeval objects that were previously classed as "Islamic art" now lead the visitor onwards from Late Antiquity through medieval Egypt, where Judaism, Christianity and Islam co-existed side-by-side.

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This blog is about all things related to the product assortment of archaeform; today it’s all about cats in Ancient Egypt.

A bronze statue of the cat goddess Bastet

Cats are special beings and enchant us with their beauty, their independence of mind and their intelligence. With 600 million animals sharing our households with us worldwide they are the most popular pet. According to latest genetic and archaeological research all domesticated cats descend from the African wild cat. Domestication began 10.000 years ago in the Near East, the same region where sedentarism and agriculture had their origins. The cat took a very important role in Ancient Egypt. There they were extremely popular as hunters of rodents such as rats and mice, but also of snakes in living quarters and storage spaces, they were also utilised in bird hunting. House cats are attested since the Middle Kingdom (c. 2nd century BC). Next to the domestic cat in Egypt lived the aggressive wild cat.

A mummified cat

Both characters are found in Egyptian mythology: on the one hand the peaceable cat goddess Bastet, responsible for love, happiness and feasts; on the other hand the destructive and raging goddess Sakhmet. These opposites which can be found in the cat goddesses are mirrored in the daily fight for the maintenance of order against chaos – an ever-present motif in the Ancient Egyptian mindscape. Cats were sacred animals, they got sacrificed and mummified. The town of Bubastis in the Nile delta was her main cultic site. Here there are temples of Bastet where she is depicted either as cat or as human being with lion or cat head.

A bronze statue of a domesticated cat and her kitten

Welcome to the new website of archaeform! Enjoy browsing and discovering our exciting products!

"Professor Henry Jones, Jr., perhaps the most influential archaeologist of our time, warned us: „We cannot afford to take mythology at face value.“ " *

On the contrary, we can! The aim of archaeform is to rekindle the past, its mythology, its form language and its intellectual world. In this context archaeform offers a carefully selected range of exquisite and high quality products which are designed and assembled in collaboration with the great and famous museums in the world. With every object you purchase a piece of living history - exclusively and only available at archaeform and selected museum shops supplied by us.

Feel free to visit our Blog from time to time. Here we will inform you at regular intervals with entertaining and interesting facts and news from the world of archaeology.

* Zitat / Quote: Stephen H. Lekson, The Chaco Meridien: Centers of Power in the Ancient Southwest, Walnut Creek 1999