Now, that is what I call cute.
I've always had a fascination with Egypt, mummies, animal cults, etc.
I've been reading this book:
Which is actually very good, and not boring. (to me anyway)
Animal mummies may have served different purposes at different times.
(depending on the status of the kingdom during what era)
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_mummies
I find the mass graves of the different animal mummies so interesting.
(In cases though, it was not the animal being worshiped, but rather the God in which the animal represented- Thoth is the Ibis-headed god, Bastet the cat-headed god, Ra with the Falcon head, Anubis being the jackal-headed god... and so on...)
Also, there were whole jobs/professions that were devoted to say, making Ibis mummies for purchase as offerings to the god Thoth.
And sometimes they ran out of whole Ibises to wrap at the Ibis mummy factory *I'll continue with the Ibis example* to fill large orders
- so they just wrapped parts.
(If discovered for the partial mummies, it was blasphemy and they'd be punished!)
(IBIS and CROCODILE?)
(CAT)
(DOG)
They weren't always mummified as mass animal offerings though-
Some were mummified as food and protection for the afterlife. (dogs, goats, cattle)
and sometimes, you just want to be buried with your best friend when the time comes.
