Animals in ancient Egypt: lions are a symbol of royalty and giraffes are a symbol of prophecy
Humans have always had a complex relationship with the animal kingdom. The wild animals we see today have been around for thousands of years and played important roles in some of the most famous ancient civilizations.
Ancient Egypt considered wild animals “great natural forces,” many of which had a connection to the gods, says Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo.
“They were considered mediators between humans and the gods, but they also represented the forces of chaos that had to be tamed and controlled in order for order and the universe to continue,” says Salima Ikram, according to the American magazine Discover.
In the early times of Egyptian civilization, around 4000 BC, many wild animals that later migrated to central and southern Africa flourished in and around Egypt. While this ancient society hunted and captured animals, they also believed that conservation was important. They did not hunt animals as much as we do today, as many animals had important roles in society.
The Egyptians considered lions, for example, to be “images of the sun god Ra,” as well as symbols of royalty. They also believed that the male hippopotamus was a “turbulent” creature representing the Egyptian god of war, Set, and the female hippopotamus represented the goddess Taweret, who protected mothers and children. According to Salima Ikram, giraffes do not appear often in Egyptian mythology But they were considered "prediction" animals because their long necks could see the future.
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