ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Animal mummy

Okay kiddo, you know how sometimes people bury their loved ones when they pass away to honor and preserve their memory? Well, the same thing happened in ancient Egypt, but with animals. These animals were seen as very important and special, and their owners wanted to make sure they could always be with them, even in the afterlife.

So what they did was carefully clean and dry out the animals' bodies. Then, they wrapped them up in special linen bandages to make them look like little animal statues. These were called animal mummies!

Sometimes the animals that were mummified were pets, like cats or dogs, but other times they were animals that were important in religion, like cows or bulls. Some people even mummified crocodiles, because they thought they were powerful and special creatures.

The animal mummies were kept in special tombs, just like human mummies. People would come to visit these tombs and leave offerings to the animals to honor them. It was a way of showing respect and love for the animals, and also a way of believing that they would always be cared for, even in the afterlife!