Mummified dog from Ancient Egypt (left),with X-ray at right. Animals were mummified in Ancient Egypt for thousands of years,either to allow a favoured pet to follow its owner into the afterlife,or as an act of worship to a god with an animal cult. Dog mummy offerings would have been intended for the god Anubis,who was variously worshiped as a dog,fox,or jackal. Mummification involved removing the internal organs,drying out the body,embalming it,and wrapping it in layers of linen. Photographed at the Guimet Museum,Lyon,France |