Millions of animals were mummified in Egypt, above all in the Late and Ptolemaic periods. Some were beloved pets buried with their owners, some were food offerings for the afterlife, and most were votive offerings: cats for Bastet, ibises for Thoth, falcons for Horus and crocodiles for Sobek, bought by pilgrims and buried in vast animal catacombs at sites like Saqqara and Tuna el-Gebel.
This display brings together wrapped animal mummies and their coffins, many decorated so that the wrappings recreate the shape of the animal inside.
