Because depictions of lions were so common in ancient Egypt, researchers have long wondered why only one lion mummy to date has ever been discovered among the millions of mummified animals the Ancient Egyptians interred. Now, a team of archaeologists led by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities has revealed five more lion mummies, likely cubs, discovered at the Bubasteion necropolis —literally, a catacomb of cat mummies—in Saqqara. The mummified lion cubs, which are each about three feet in length, are believed to be eight months old. They were found together with a large collection of wooden and bronze statues of cats and other mummified animals, including cobras and crocodiles. The Supreme Council of Antiquities said that the artifacts likely belonged to Egypt’s 26 th Dynasty (664-525 B.C.) The lion held a privileged status in ancient Egypt, regarded as the fiercest warrior in the wild and a symbol of both danger and protection. Pharaohs were known to take part in lion hunts to demonstrate their own supremacy, including Amenhotep III, who claimed to have killed 102 lions in the first ten years of his reign. The big cats were also held as pets in royal complexes, with Ramesses II and Tutankhamun both illustrated with a sitting lion. The Greek author Aelian famously wrote that when he visited Saqqara he saw lions in temples that were fed oxen and sung to while they dined. Even so, the lion was never associated strongly with a single deity such as the ibis to Thoth or the jackal to Anubis. The mummies found in Saqqara are likely connected to the cat goddess Bastet and her sibling Sekhmet, the warrior goddess with the face of a lioness, says Lord. The lion mummies may be associated with the worship of Sekhmet, the Egyptian warrior goddess with the face of a lioness.

A cat statue is displayed after the announcement of a new discovery carried out by an Egyptian archaeological team in Giza's Saqqara necropolis. Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images Over the weekend, the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry unveiled a huge cache of ancient artifacts and mummified animals—most significantly, the rare remains of at least two lion cubs—discovered in Saqqara, a necropolis located just south of Cairo. According to a statement posted on the ministry’s Facebook page, the trove includes 75 wooden and bronze statues of cats; 25 decorated wooden boxes filled with mummified cats; and statues of animals and birds ranging from bulls to a mongoose, an ibis and a falcon. Crocodiles, cobras and scarab beetles are among the other mummified creatures found at the site. Archaeologists also uncovered a large stone scarab and two smaller wood and sandstone depictions of the sacred beetle. Egypt’s antiquities minister, Khaled El-Enany, says the finds could fill “ a museum by itself.” Additional discoveries detailed in the statement are 73 bronze statues of the god Osiris, 6 wooden statues of the god Ptah-Soker, 11 statues of the lioness goddess Sekhmet and a carved statue of the goddess Neith. The cache also holds amulets, mummy masks and papyrus scrolls covered in drawings of the goddess Tawert. An item containing the name King Psamtik I dates many of the items to the 26th dynasty, which ruled Egypt between 610 and 664 B.C. CT scans identified two of the animals as lion cubs based on the size and shape of their bones, but the remaining three cats have yet to be definitively identified. At a press conference held Saturday, Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the team’s hoard marked “the first time [the] complete mummy of a lion or lion cub” has been found in Egypt. Per Live Science ’s Owen Jarus, the lions’ demure stature suggests they were not fully grown at the time of their death. As Ruth Michaelson reports for the Guardian, the team plans on scanning the trio of still-unidentified felines to gain a better sense of the animals’ origins. “If it’s a cheetah, a leopard, a lioness, a panther—whatever, it will be one of its kind,” says Waziri, as quoted by Michaelson. The lion cubs are not the first of their species to be found in the area. French archaeologists unearthed part of the skeleton of an adult lion at Saqqara in 2004, revealing what the Associated Press ’ Samy Magdy describes as the “sacred status of the animal in ancient times.” The mummies of cats and other felines are displayed after the announcement of a new discovery carried out by an Egyptian archaeological team in Giza's Saqqara necropolis. Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images

Two mummified lions, dating back about 2,600 years, have been discovered in a tomb full of cat statues and cat mummies in Saqqara, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced today (Nov. 23) at a press conference. "This is the first time [that a] complete mummy of a lion or lion cub" has been found in Egypt, said Mostafa Waziri, the general secretary of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, who led the team that made the discovery. Analysis is ongoing, but it appears the lions are fairly small — about 3 feet (just under 1 meter) in length, — Waziri said, suggesting that they were not fully grown when they died. Three other mummies that belong to large cats (the exact species is unclear) were found near the two lions. These three other mummies could belong to leopards, cheetahs or other forms of big cat. About 20 mummies of smaller cats were also found near the lion cubs. About 100 statues and statuettes were found near the burials, many of which depict cats. The cat statues are made of stone, wood or metal (such as bronze), and "most of them [are] well painted, well decorated and some were inlaid with gold," Waziri said. Three large cat mummies and some small mummies can be seen at the archaeological site at Saqqara. It's not clear if the lion mummies are shown in this photo.(Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities) About 100 statues, many of cats, were found in the tomb. They are made of wood, metal or stone. Two mummified lions, dating back about 2,600 years, have been discovered in a tomb full of cat statues and cat mummies in Saqqara, in Egypt.

Mummified felines, thought to be lion cubs, have been discovered alongside statues and other animal mummies. Credit: Ministry of Antiquities The unveiling of five ancient feline mummies, including at least two lion cubs, and a host of other artefacts from the Bubasteion necropolis in Saqqara, south of Cairo, has left Egyptologists buzzing. It is only the second time that lion mummies have been found; the first was reported in 2004. The latest announcement, on 23 November, follows last month’s revelation that 30 sealed coffins and their mummified human contents had been discovered at the Assasif necropolis near Luxor, some 500 kilometres south of Saqqara. Each lion mummy in the latest trove is around 1 metre long and dates to ancient Egypt’s 26th Dynasty (664–525 bc), according to a statement from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, part of the Egyptian antiquities ministry. The artefacts were found with a larger collection of animal mummies, along with wood and bronze statues of cats and crocodiles. “This is an extremely exciting and important find, as it sheds new light on the relationship between wild and dangerous animals and the ancient Egyptians,” says Salima Ikram, an archaeologist at the American University in Cairo who is working with the Egyptian government to identify the discoveries. “It is possible that this hints at areas where lions were kept within Egypt, which we have seen [depicted] in images,” she says, adding that mummified lions of this age are very rare. More has also been revealed about the content and significance of the human coffins at Luxor. This find was first announced on 15 October, and is understood to be the largest coffin discovery since 153 were found at Bab el-Gasus (‘the door of the priests’), not far from Luxor, in 1891. Archaeologists open a wooden coffin near Luxor, Egypt, in October.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities today announced two mummified lions, dating from approximately 2,600 years, in a tomb full of cat statues and cat mummies at Saqqara, at a press conference. This cat statue, along with many others, was discovered in a tomb discovered at Saqqara in Egypt. Mostafa Waziri, General Secretary of the Supreme Council of Egypt, said that “this is the first time that a lion or lion cube’s complete mummy is being found” in Egypt. who led the team that made the discovery. The analysis is ongoing, but it appears the Lions are fairly small — about 3 feet (just under 1 meter) in length, — Waziri said, suggesting that they were not fully grown when they died. Three other mummies that belong to large cats (the exact species is unclear) were found near the two lions. These three other mummies could belong to leopards, cheetahs or other forms of the big cat. About 20 mummies of smaller cats were also found near the lion cubs. About 100 statues and statuettes were found near the burials, many of which depict cats. The cat statues are made of stone, wood or metal (such as bronze), and “most of them well painted, well decorated and some were inlaid with gold,” Waziri said. About 100 statues, many of cats, were found in the tomb. They are made of wood, metal or stone. A few are gilded with gold. Several small cat mummies were found in the tomb. Three large cat mummies and some small mummies can be seen at the archaeological site at Saqqara. It’s not clear if the lion mummies are shown in this photo.

Egyptian authorities have unveiled a trove of mummified animals and statues in remarkable condition. According to The Guardian, the discovery was made near the remains of a mummified adult lion that was found beneath the Saqqara necropolis in 2004. The findings include mummified big cats, cobras, and crocodiles. There are dozens of mummified cats, 75 wooden and bronze cat statues, mummified birds, and even a mummified beetle three to four times bigger than usual. Experts say the haul dates back to the seventh century B.C. Of the five large mummified wildcats, two have been identified as lion cubs. Meanwhile, three of them have yet to be identified. Head of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Antiquities, Mostafa Waziry, isn’t too concerned. He’s one of many who believe this stunning cache of relics will boost tourism to the country. “If it’s a cheetah, a leopard, a lioness, a panther — whatever, it will be one of its kind,” he said. Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities The trove reportedly dates back to the seventh century B.C. and boasts an impressive amount of cat statues. Officials like Khaled El-Enany, Egypt’s antiquities minister, couldn’t agree with Waziry more. El-Enany called this find “wonderful promotion for Egypt.” To his point, this archaeological find is more than a mere unearthing of ancient relics — it provides insight into the religious, cultural, and social lives of those who routinely mummified animals or made statues of them. “People would make devotional offerings in the form of animals as mummies,” said Dr. Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist and mummy expert at the American University of Cairo. “This would have more potency as a blood sacrifice, compared to stone or wooden images.” It’s largely agreed upon in the field of Egyptology that these ancient worshippers either believed these mummified animals were deities themselves, or actively mummified them as ritualistic offerings to the gods.

SAQQARA, EGYPT— Live Science reports that two mummified lions have been discovered among about 100 statues of cats and other figures, some 20 cat mummies, and a scarab measuring more than one foot in diameter in a 2,600-year-old tomb in the Saqqara necropolis. Mostafa Waziri of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the lion mummies are the first of their kind to be found in Egypt, and, because they measure only about three feet long, the animals may not have been fully grown at the time of death. The mummies of three other large cats found near the lions have not yet been identified, but may represent leopards, cheetahs, or other big cat species. The decorated statues were made of stone, wood, and bronze, and some were inlaid with gold. A small ebony statue of Neith, goddess of the city of Sais, the capital of Egypt during the 26th dynasty, helped the researchers date the tomb and its contents, Waziri explained. For more on animal mummies, go to " Messengers to the Gods."

Egyptian authorities have announced the rare discovery of mummified lion cubs, big cats, cobras and crocodiles near Saqqara necropolis which date back around 2,600 years. The cache of ancient mummified animals includes dozens of mummified cats and birds, an enormous mummified beetle reported to be “three to four times” the normal size and 75 wooden and bronze cat statues. The mummified large cats were found close to the remains of an adult mummified lion discovered beneath the Saqqara necropolis in 2004 and while two have been identified as lion cubs three more require further analysis to determine their species. A Guardian report quotes an excited Mostafa Waziry, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Antiquities, saying that if these three animals are identified as cheetahs, leopards, lioness’ or panthers, it will be “one of its kind” in ancient Egypt. Dr Salima Ikram is an Egyptologist and mummy expert at the American University in Cairo and she said the animal mummies date to the Ptolemaic period that ended in 30 BC. At that time in ancient Egypt worshippers either held mummified animals as actual deities, or they mummified creatures in order to offer them to their gods. This, according to Dr Ikram would have more potency as it was a “blood sacrifice” compared to the perceived magical energies associated with stone or wooden images. In April this year I wrote an Ancient Origins news article about a similar discovery when archaeologists uncovered dozens of mummified cats and mice among a stash of around 50 animals laid to rest in an ancient tomb about 390km (242 miles) south of Cairo near the Egyptian town of Sohag. This tomb was built for a man named ‘Tutu’ and his wife who lived in the early Ptolemaic period, which ended with the Roman conquest in 30 BC and like the new discoveries greatly added to Egyptologists understanding of animal worship and mummification rites.

Ancient Egyptian tombs are sort of like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get... even a pair of mummified lion cubs dating back some 2,600 years! In a rare discovery announced at a press conference by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Nov. 23, this dusty duo of long-deceased baby lions was found in a Saqqaran tomb filled to the brim with gold-decorated wood, stone, and bronze cat statues, and a cache of cat mummies. "This is the first time [that a] complete mummy of a lion or lion cub" has been found in Egypt, said Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, who led the team that made the discovery. According to Waziri, these little lions measure in at just under 3-feet long, which would indicate that they were not fully mature when they ascended to the happy hunting ground. A trio of other, much larger cat mummies of undetermined species were also found resting beside the two baby lions. It's quite possible that the three bigger mummies could belong to leopards, cheetahs, or other types of indigenous big cats like the caracal. Nearly two dozen assorted mummies of smaller cats that could turn out to be African wildcats or jungle cats, both native to the region, were found near the lion cubs. One of the greater treasures, a tall bronze statue representing Bastet, an Egyptian cat goddess, was discovered alongside approximately 100 wooden cat statues. Bastet served an important protective role in Egyptian mythology, while also being linked to music, dancing, and pleasure. This unusual site was most likely used as a specific complex for burying kitties. The fertile feline territory is located at Giza's Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo. Scientists have theorized that the spot where this "cat"-acomb was revealed is apparently a purr-iffic region, as many archaeological digs in the vicinity have unearthed remains of cat mummies and cat statues, including the partial remains of an adult lion skeleton by a French crew in 2004.

Egypt on Saturday unveiled a cache of 75 wooden and bronze statues and five lion cub mummies decorated with hieroglyphics at the Saqqara necropolis near the Giza pyramids in Cairo. Mummified cats, cobras and crocodiles and scarabs were also unearthed among the well-preserved mummies and other objects discovered recently. The Antiquities Ministry announced the find at the foot of the Bastet Temple, dedicated to the worship of cats among ancient Egyptians, in the vast necropolis. Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany described the discovery as "a (whole) museum by itself". He said initial archaeological studies showed that five of the mummies are lion cubs. Other artifacts uncovered in the dig included statues of an Apis bull, a mongoose, an ibis, a falcon and the ancient Egyptian god Anubis in animal form. The artifacts belong to the 26th Dynasty which dates back to the seventh century BCE, Enany said. The trove also boasts a collection of ancient Egyptian deities in the form of 73 bronze statuettes depicting the god Osiris, six wooden statues of Ptah-Soker and 11 statues of Sekhmet, the warrior goddess of healing. Egypt has sought to promote its unique heritage as a way to revive its vital tourism sector, which has been badly hit by political insecurity and attacks. However, critics say archaeological sites and museums suffer from negligence and poor management. Egypt on Saturday unveiled a cache of 75 wooden and bronze statues and five lion cub mummies decorated with hieroglyphics at the Saqqara necropolis near the Giza pyramids in Cairo.