What animal was least likely to be eaten?
Herodotus documents that in ancient Persia dogs were protected animals, held in the highest esteem during their lifetime. According to the ancient Greeks, dogs in ancient Egypt were treated with the same respect as they were in Persia, and were commonly mummified after death before being buried in family tombs. The ancient Egyptians and others of the Near East believed that dogs were spiritual beings, similar to humans, and they were "often associated with particular deities and the powers they wield". A number of the early dynastic royal burial grounds contain the graves of dogs, along with women and servants of the royal household. Ashkelon cemetery in the Southern District of Israel is perhaps the best-documented dog cemetery in the ancient world, but dog mummies have been unearthed en masse in sites across Egypt including Rhoda in Upper Egypt, Thebes, Abydos, and near Maghagha.The ancient Egyptians mummified many animal species, from cats and gazelles to crocodiles, baboons, and birds. Typically, many animal species were consumed as meat after death, but it is highly unlikely that dogs would have been eaten. Radiographs of exhumed dogs in the ancient world have revealed that the mummification process involved wrapping the embalmed bones together with bandages and placing them within a wooden statue of Anubis, the jackal-headed deity associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion.
dogs