In 525 BC, during the Battle of Pelusium, the Persian King Cambyses II utilized a unique psychological tactic to secure victory against the Egyptians. Knowing that the Egyptians revered cats as sacred animals, Cambyses ordered his soldiers to capture and carry cats into battle. The Persian troops held these cats at the forefront of their advance, effectively using the animals as shields. The Egyptian soldiers, fearing divine retribution for harming the sacred creatures, hesitated to attack, leading to a significant strategic advantage for the Persians. This exploitation of the Egyptians’ religious beliefs contributed to the demoralization and eventual defeat of the Egyptian forces.
Additionally, Cambyses II further capitalized on the Egyptians’ reverence for cats by having his soldiers paint feline images on their shields. This strategy played on the Egyptians’ deep-rooted superstition and veneration of cats, causing confusion and fear among the ranks. The sight of the sacred images on enemy shields likely intensified their reluctance to engage in combat, as they perceived any act of aggression against the Persians as an affront to their deities. By leveraging cultural and religious sensitivities, Cambyses II was able to manipulate the battlefield dynamics in his favor, demonstrating the effectiveness of psychological warfare in ancient military tactics.
The ancient Egyptians had a profound reverence for life in all its forms. Life was considered a gift from the gods, and this reverence extended beyond humans to all living creatures. Although the Egyptians occasionally consumed meat, and their royalty participated in hunting, their diet was primarily vegetarian or pescatarian. This dietary preference reflected their understanding of the sacred nature of all existence. Even when animals were consumed, thanks were given for the sacrifice, pets were well cared for, and wildlife was respected.
This value is evident throughout their culture, from their art to their religion, and is epitomized by the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BCE. This decisive battle was between Pharaoh Psametik III (526-525 BCE) and the Persian king Cambyses II (525-522 BCE), leading to the first Persian conquest of Egypt.
It has been suggested that the Persians would have won the battle regardless of the tactics used since Cambyses II had far more experience in warfare than the young Pharaoh Psametik III. However, the victory was due more to Cambyses II’s understanding of Egyptian culture than his skills as a commander. He employed a very unusual strategy: using animals, especially cats, as hostages.
Cats were popular pets in ancient Egypt and closely associated with the goddess Bastet (also known as Bast), depicted in Egyptian art with the body of a woman and the head of a cat or as a sitting cat in a regal pose. She was the goddess of home, domesticity, women’s secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected households from evil spirits and diseases, particularly those affecting women and children, and played a role in the afterlife. Bastet was extremely popular throughout Egypt among both men and women from the 2nd Dynasty (c. 2890 – c. 2670 BCE) onward, with her cult centered in the city of Bubastis from at least the 5th century BCE.
Initially represented as a woman with the head of a lioness and associated with the vengeful goddess Sekhmet, Bastet eventually came to be seen as a more benevolent companion, though she still could dispense justice when necessary. Harming one of her cats was among the many ways people could offend the goddess. Cats were so highly regarded in ancient Egypt that the punishment for killing one was death. According to Herodotus, Egyptians caught in a burning building would save the cats before themselves or attempting to put out the fire. Herodotus also noted that when a cat died of natural causes, the inhabitants of the house would shave their eyebrows as a sign of grief, and cats were mummified with jewelry just like humans.
It has been suggested that cats were sacrificed to Bastet in the same manner dogs were to Anubis, but this claim has been contested. It is possible that the mummified cats found at Bubastis were pets who died naturally and were brought to be interred at a sacred site, a precedent set by graves of humans and animals buried at Abydos to be close to Osiris.
