One of the most popular misconceptions about ancient Egyptians is that they worshiped animals such as cats, dogs, and birds. Some animals, such as the Apis bull, may have been sacred, but the majority were not. Instead, as in many religions, animals symbolized certain gods and—just like figurines of animals in bronze, terracotta, faience, or other materials—their mummies served as votive offerings to those gods.

The word “mummy” derives from the Arabic mummiya, meaning “bitumen” or “pitch” (tar or asphalt), and refers to the black resin discovered on bodies placed in Late Period burials. The ancient Egyptian word for “mummy” was sah, meaning “nobility” and “dignity. See similar questions...

The ancient Egyptians worshipped the Neteru. These people often saw the presence of the Neteru in various animals and other aspects of nature: Heru's majesty is echoed in the flight of the hawk; Sekhmet's strength is easily seen in the powerful lion; the rebirth of Ausir was evoked by the cycle of barren drought and renewal in the annual flood of the Nile. See similar questions...

The ancient Egyptians included images of people making and eating food in their art, described food in their texts, and even buried items of food in tombs with the deceased. Thus we have a fairly good idea of what they ate. The staples of the average person’s diet were bread—made in many different shapes—beer, and vegetables. Bread and beer are the first two items mentioned in standard offering formulas for the deceased. (Learn more about offerings. See similar questions...

Egyptians literally believed that cats were divine, to the point that if a household cat died, its owners would shave their eyebrows in mourning and lovingly transport the cat carcass to one of the cities devoted to mummifying cats for their journey to the next world. (They apparently didn't make it. In 1888, about 300,000 cat mummies were discovered still lounging around this world in the ancient city of Beni Hassan. See similar questions...

The great pyramid and other monuments may have orientations to constellations and the precessional cycle according to the "Orion Mystery" by Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbet. How long does a millennia last and how does that compare to the length of a great age? A millennia lasts for 1000 years while a great age lasts for about 2,160 years, so a great age lasts a little over 2 millennia. See similar questions...

Elite men and women cut their hair short or shaved it completely, either to keep cool, to fit under a wig, or as a precaution against lice. They wore wigs made of human hair, and hairpieces of artificial curls or braids that could be added separately. Wigs were probably worn in public and at parties. Men and women also shaved their body hair and Egyptian priests were required to shave their heads and bodies as part of a purification process during their terms of service in a temple. See similar questions...

There is no single ancient Egyptian word equivalent to the word “time,” although many words referred to segments or kinds of time such as parts of the day, specific occurrences, and “never.” Unlike the Western calendar, the ancient Egyptians did not have a continuous dating system from a fixed point. An early lunar calendar, based on the cycles of the moon, coexisted with a solar or civil calendar by the time of the Old Kingdom. See similar questions...

There was something there just about every night. They come and check you out. I would know they were there because the horse would stamp and snort. He wasn’t bothered by deer or elk, so I knew it was a bear or a coyote or mountain lion. My usual reaction was to talk to it in a really loud voice for a minute or so. Then they would usually wander away. By dawn, they would stop visiting and the horse could relax, eat and rest. Their presence basically became part of our routine. See similar questions...

Ted quotes Bill Anderson calculating odds against 1-celled life. As before, the odds calculations are invalid, in that they assume independence, and the need for a specific outcome instead of only a viable one. See similar questions...

Nearly all the animals in the exhibits were donated by Jimmie C. Rosenbruch and his family. Worldwide Government Wildlife Agencies administered licenses and permits to obtain the nearly 300 species collected over a lifetime. The collection is appraised at over four-million dollars. The majority of this went to wildlife management for habitat protection, anti-poaching, and other efforts to preserve wildlife populations. No animals were collected specifically for this museum. See similar questions...

Then as now, many animals adapted to desert conditions. Among the sand dunes here 80 million years ago were streams and seasonal shallow lakes where animals could drink. Plant eaters devoured the shrubs and small trees that grew at the water's edge, and meat eaters found abundant prey. See similar questions...

Asphalt is very sticky, particularly when it is warm. The warm temperatures from late spring to early fall would have provided the optimum conditions for entrapment in asphalt. Small mammals, birds and insects inadvertently coming into contact with it would be immobilized as if they were trapped by flypaper. The feet and legs of heavier animals might sink two or three inches below its surface. See similar questions...

It depended on the type of kayak used. Some groups would carry the animal on top of their deck. This method required a boat with a large volume so it could handle a 150+ pound animal (typically seal) on top of it. Another method was to land and butcher the animal on shore and stuff the butchered meat into the boat. This method relied on there being enough volume inside the boat for the meat. A gaff hook was used to retrieve the meat since they did not have any hatches. See similar questions...

Almost everyone loves puppies and kittens, but some people lose interest when these animals grow up. As a result, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized annually or suffer as strays. Many of these were the result of unwanted, unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering. Rarely surviving for more than a few years on their own, strays die painfully by starvation, disease, freezing or being hit by cars. See similar questions...

In a number of other episodes, the Hulk was also a friend to animals. In Rainbow's End, he leads a horse out of a burning building. In The Snare, he puts several baby birds back into their nest. In A Solitary Place, he pets a wild rabbit, and in Two Godmothers, he plays with a small dog. Why Was Stephen Spielberg Not A Big Incredible Hulk Fan? Action shows in the late 70s and early 80s often used stock footage from other movies and television shows as a means of cutting costs. See similar questions...

Rescued animals in Mississippi were taken to the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center in Hattiesburg, where they were checked by a veterinarian, bathed, fed, and watered. The successful shelter operations have closed, and all rescued animals were either reunited with their owners or have been transported for safe-keeping to animal shelters in other states. The animal shelters taking in pets displaced by Hurricane Katrina will be holding those animals to give owners a chance to claim them. See similar questions...

Founded in 1993 at The Good Shepherd Association, ITA changed its name in September of 1997 to more accurately reflect what we do. The October 1997 issue of the ITA newsletter contains an article describing in more detail the name change. Our membership and the number of facilities we serve have grown steadily since the beginning, as more and more healthcare professsionals recognize the great benefits of providing animal-assisted therapy for their patients. See similar questions...

Extinct mammals, like the saber-toothed cats and mammoths, and birds, like Merriam's Teratorn and Grinnell's Eagle, roamed the Los Angeles Basin for several hundred thousand years. These and other extinct species were entrapped and their remains were preserved between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago at Rancho La Brea, during the last of four great Ice Ages at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch. See similar questions...