The lion was considered the most special animal in Ancient Egypt.
There are many wild animals or predators that can be found by the world community, one of which is the lion. The lion itself was considered one of the animals that had special privileges in Ancient Egypt.
In fact, a team of archaeologists reportedly found only a small number of mummies from lions. This raises questions between them. The lion with the Latin name Panthera leo is associated with the sun and Pharaoh, the strongest element of life and death in Ancient Egypt. Seeing this, Conni Lord, an Egyptologist from the Animal Mummy Research Project at the Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney, commented.
"The lion played an extraordinary role in the iconography of ancient Egypt," he said.
On the other hand, the image of a lion is also used for objects of daily life, such as with chairs and beds. Not only that, the image of the lion can also be used as protection. Since the symbol of the lion was so common in Ancient Egypt, researchers have asked why only one mummy of a lion has been found.
A team of archaeologists led by the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt has revealed the discovery of 5 mummified lions. These five mummies were found in the Bubasteion cemetery.
However, the lion was never associated with a single god as with the devil with Thoth or the wolf with Anubis. The lion mummies at Saqqara may be related to the cat goddess Bastet and her brother Sekhmet, the warrior goddess with the face of a lioness.
On the other hand, this lack of connection with certain gods and cults could be the reason why mummified lions are less common than other animals. Or on the other hand, this mummy just hasn't been found by a team of archaeologists.
"There's really no practical reason for the low number of mummified lions when compared to other animals," he said.