Mummy (baboon)

The Egyptians regarded baboons as wise creatures, because their behaviour resembles that of human beings. Thot, the god of wisdom, therefore appeared in the guise of a baboon. Baboons were treated as sacred animals and were not sold in large quantities to pilgrims for sacrificial purposes. This means that baboon mummies are rare. By the time of the Pharaohs, baboons were extinct in Egypt. In order to display baboons in sanctuaries dedicated to Thot, the animals had to be imported from remote parts of Africa.