Researchers Uncover an Ancient Mass Grave of 8 Million Mummified Dogs in Ancient Egypt.

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Saqqara was a busy community in ancient Egypt, which existed between 747 and 332 BC. A team of archeologists have now uncovered an ancient Egyptian temple that was built in North Saqqara and was dedicated to Anubis, the god of the death.

Archeologists also discovered a mass grave located next to this ancient temple holding over eight million mummified dogs and puppies.

According to researchers, this finding highlights the "unappreciated scale of burial practices associated with animal cults." It also suggests that animal cults played a major role in sustaining the regional economies in ancient Egypt.

The dog catacomb in North Saqqara was first discovered in the 19th century. However, the huge extent of animal body count in this region was unearthed recently by a team of archeologists from the University of Cardiff.

According to lead researcher Paul Nicholson, the temple and the catacombs found in North Saqqara served as the burial ground, decked out with mummies of mongooses, jackals, hawks, cats, baboons, foxes, bulls, falcon, and millions of dogs. Some of these animals lived in the main temple complex, but the majority was bred, probably, to serve the purpose of mummification. Nicholson suggests many puppies would have been kept in the tomb from birth. They were not strangled but died due to starvation or dehydration.

"They probably weren't killed by physical action; we don't have evidence of broken necks that you get with cat burials." Nicholson told Ibtimes.

According to Nicholson, the animals were not strictly "sacrificial" but considered as an "intermediary between the donor and the gods." Dedicating an animal mummy to god was always regarded as a pious act in ancient Egypt. The catacombs in the region were created in around fourth century BC, and those holding mummies were "a very long series of dark tunnels."

"There is no natural light once you've gone into the forepart of the catacomb, and beyond that everything has to be lit with flashlights. It's really quite a spectacular thing."

Researcher also discovered a spine of marine vertebrae which is now extinct. The remains were found in ceiling of the catacomb.

According to a paper published in journal Antiquity, researchers found a 568 x 459 ft catacomb with remains of animals. The paper reveals that in ancient Egypt, animal cults were an expression of national identity and popular religion, and reached their prime during the Late and Ptolemaic Periods between 747 and 30 BC.

The paper also suggests that during that period, the Temple of Anubis and the catacomb would have been a famous tourist spot with a large number of animal breeders, priests, bronze-makers, and embalmers living at this place.

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