FELIS SILVESTRIS CATUS by GARAGELAND
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Description
Traditionally, historians tended to think that ancient Egypt was the site of cat domestication, owing to the clear depictions of house cats in Egyptian paintings about 3,600 years old. However, in 2004, a Neolithic grave was excavated in Shillourokambos, Cyprus, that contained the skeletons, laid close to one another, of both a human and a cat. The grave is estimated to be 9,500 years old, pushing back the earliest known feline human association significantly. The cat specimen is large and closely resembles the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), rather than present-day domestic cats. This discovery, combined with genetic studies, suggest that cats were probably domesticated in the Middle East, in the Fertile Crescent around the time of the development of agriculture and then they were brought to Cyprus and Egypt.
In ancient Egypt cats were sacred animals, with the goddess Bastet often depicted in cat form, sometimes taking on the warlike aspect of a lioness. The Romans are often credited with introducing the domestic cat from Egypt to Europe; in Roman Aquitaine, a 1st or 2nd century epitaph of a young girl holding a cat is one of two earliest depictions of the Roman domesticated cat. However, it is possible that cats were already kept in Europe prior to the Roman Empire, as they may have already been present in Britain in the late Iron Age. Domestic cats were spread throughout much of the rest of the world during the Age of Discovery, as they were carried on sailing ships to control shipboard rodents and as good-luck charms.
I got rather scared for a few seconds taking this as the cat was letting me know "This is my patch, you can come this far, but no further"
Have a nice day.
Comments (20)
photosynthesis
A handsome & yes, a little spooky looking, cat who looks like he means business. Fine animal portrait...
jayfar
This is a beautiful shot and that is some very interesting info.
wysiwig
This is a beautiful cat but it does look very determined. The mother of my first serious girlfriend had two siamese temple cats the size of dobermans. Fascinating information on the Cyprus find. Cats were probably welcomed for their ability to cut down on the population of vermin thereby helping to preserve crops.
icerian
Excellently done capture.
alanwilliams
interesting information, and a hypnotic stare from this striking cat
spiritmind
wonderful photo:)
Hendesse
Excellent portrait and very interesting informations.
morningglory
Great eyes, and spectacular coloring on this bold kitty.
durleybeachbum
A quite scary animal who fears no one.
dakotabluemoon
Oh i love this cat what a beauty it is and seems very healthy by looking at it's eyes.
JaneEden
Excellent photo of this cat, you did well especially as the cat was warning you off. Thanks for the very informative intro here, I am very interested as I am a cat lover. hugs Jane xx
Hubert
A wonderful kitty, well captured!
moochagoo
Wow, what an expression :)
Meisiekind
Awesome feline and excellent image. Very interesting comment too! Oh - and I love the title!
sandra46
PRECIOUS FELINE PORTRAIT!
Richardphotos
amazing colors and what a beautiful cat/portrait
kassad
Waow!!! Great shot. Excellent. B->
cheekyelf
Stunning picture,& wow what a good looking cat he/she looks very egyptian,I love his/hers dark face & chocolate coloured body,so unusual.but I do like cats any way as I have 3 myself.
jendellas
OOOOh thats a go away stare :o)
inaani
Tolles schwarzes Gesicht - solch eine Falbkatze sieht man selten. Die Aufnahme ist sehr gut - und die komplette Katze wäre perfekt. Istda vielleicht noch mal eine Gesamtaufnahme möglich? 0ie meisten Falbkatzen sind ja getigert.