The pantheon of the Egyptians consisted of several deities, but Bastet was given the primary position. She was portrayed to possess a cat-head, due to which Egyptians placed cats in a place of reverence. As decades passed by, her clothing underwent a constant change so that its portrayal also kept changing.
Actually this deity was depicted in the form of a fierce lioness. However with the passage of time the Egyptians developed a love for cats and as these cats were domesticated the depiction of their god changed from a fierce lioness to that of a cat headed woman.
The people built a temple called Bubastis in reverence of Bastet. Within this temple were hundreds of statues which were supposed to represent the cat headed goddess. It is by analyzing these statues that historians have been able to get an idea of the type of clothing that the deity was considered to wear.
A sculpted image of the goddess typically pictured a young woman with a cat's head. Almost all of them are sculpted to portray the cat-headed aspect, while a small number of of them portray a lion or leopard.
Ornamental attire was characteristic of the goddess. A wide variety of stylish items added to the embellishment. Some were found to be carrying a little bag, while others showed her with a dainty basket hanging on one arm, with the Sistrum (a musical instrument) on the other.
Also part of her attire was a breastplate that formed the center of her attire. Based on Egyptian mythology this deity had a love for music and dance. She was also regarded as having a generous nature while being very rich too. Actually the basket that the statue of Bastet was wearing was supposed to represent the bountiful harvest that the goddess was associated with.
The reverence ascribed to cats caused several living cats to adorn the temple dedicated to this goddess. Lots of cat-bodies that have undergone mummification formed a major part of the archaeological discoveries in the temple of Bubastis. Tamed cats of Egyptian households were buried in Bubastis.
The People would keep statues of the deity in her trademark clothing and attire made from bronze as a token of good luck. They would also leave offerings in the form of these bronze statues at the site of the temple which is why archeologists have found thousands of bronze statues at the site.
Cats attained a unique place amongst the Egyptians on account of Bastet. There were special laws in place that protected cats. Anyone who would intentionally harm a cat was to be punished and similarly they had elaborate burial rituals for when a domesticated cat died in a family.
Actually this deity was depicted in the form of a fierce lioness. However with the passage of time the Egyptians developed a love for cats and as these cats were domesticated the depiction of their god changed from a fierce lioness to that of a cat headed woman.
The people built a temple called Bubastis in reverence of Bastet. Within this temple were hundreds of statues which were supposed to represent the cat headed goddess. It is by analyzing these statues that historians have been able to get an idea of the type of clothing that the deity was considered to wear.
A sculpted image of the goddess typically pictured a young woman with a cat's head. Almost all of them are sculpted to portray the cat-headed aspect, while a small number of of them portray a lion or leopard.
Ornamental attire was characteristic of the goddess. A wide variety of stylish items added to the embellishment. Some were found to be carrying a little bag, while others showed her with a dainty basket hanging on one arm, with the Sistrum (a musical instrument) on the other.
Also part of her attire was a breastplate that formed the center of her attire. Based on Egyptian mythology this deity had a love for music and dance. She was also regarded as having a generous nature while being very rich too. Actually the basket that the statue of Bastet was wearing was supposed to represent the bountiful harvest that the goddess was associated with.
The reverence ascribed to cats caused several living cats to adorn the temple dedicated to this goddess. Lots of cat-bodies that have undergone mummification formed a major part of the archaeological discoveries in the temple of Bubastis. Tamed cats of Egyptian households were buried in Bubastis.
The People would keep statues of the deity in her trademark clothing and attire made from bronze as a token of good luck. They would also leave offerings in the form of these bronze statues at the site of the temple which is why archeologists have found thousands of bronze statues at the site.
Cats attained a unique place amongst the Egyptians on account of Bastet. There were special laws in place that protected cats. Anyone who would intentionally harm a cat was to be punished and similarly they had elaborate burial rituals for when a domesticated cat died in a family.
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