"This archaeologist and writer had his cat on his lap; he gazed at it intently, and pondered: How on earth did this get here? The answer to his question is Cat Tales: A History (Thames & Hudson), a vast and ambitious book, written from the perspectives of archaeology and anthropology, in which Moore takes us on a journey spanning from the Pliocene era of terrifying saber-toothed beasts to Instagram cat videos."
"For decades, the narrative was unquestionable: the ancient Egyptians domesticated cats roughly 4,000 years ago. As rodent predators, cats guarded grain silos and were protected and admired. Families mourned their deaths, cat mummies were kept with reverence, and Bastet, the feline goddess, was venerated and appeared in sculptures and paintings as a protector of the home and family. From there to Moore's living room, the leap seems logical:"
"However, archaeology has a habit of wresting narratives from the hands of historians. Moore, in fact, decided to explore the human-feline bond through archaeology because much of the evidence for such relationships is not found in written histories or among living cultures, but underground, he says. And underground, in a 2004 excavation at the Neolithic village of Shillourokambos in Cyprus, something was found that challenged conventional history:"
An archaeologist, observing a pet cat, questioned how cats became companions of humans. A sweeping history traces feline-human interactions from the Pliocene era through modern internet culture. Evidence shows coexistence evolving from mutual predation to domestication. Ancient Egyptian evidence suggested domestication around 4,000 years ago, with cats protecting grain, being mummified, mourned, and linked to the goddess Bastet. Archaeological findings undermine linear narratives. A 2004 Neolithic excavation at Shillourokambos, Cyprus, revealed a 9,500-year-old joint burial of a human and an eight-month-old cat, placed close together with offerings, indicating careful attention and a far older human–cat relationship.
Read at english.elpais.com
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