Here are some facts about Bastet, the Ancient Egyptian Cat Goddess.
- In the Nile River delta region of Ancient Egypt, Bast was worshiped as a goddess of war and the protector of Lower Egypt. Over time, however, the role and appearance of the goddess evolved. Bast the fierce lioness changed into Bastet, the goddess of domestic cats.
- Bastet was associated with motherhood. She is often depicted with a litter of kittens, and women sometimes wore amulets depicting Bastet with her offspring.
- Although Bastet was usually shown in the form of a domestic cat or as a woman with the head of a domestic cat, she was also shown in the form of a woman holding a lioness mask.
- More than 300,000 mummified cats were found during excavations of the Temple of Bast at Bubastis in Lower Egypt.
- Bastet was the daughter of Ra, the Sun God.
