Researchers analyze ancient Egyptian cat skulls from Beni Hassan

Researchers at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien examined 131 cat skulls from Beni Hassan in Middle Egypt that are nearly 2,000 years old.

The museum kept the collection in storage for almost 150 years before studying the remains. These cats were originally mummified as offerings to a goddess. The Vienna zoologist Ludwig Heinrich Jeitteles bought the collection from a dealer in 1879, and the museum purchased it in 1883 after his death.

The analysis of the 131 skulls revealed that many of the cats lived difficult lives. Some of the animals suffered from diseases, while others bore visible bite and strike wounds before they were mummified.