Previously , it was believe that people in ancient times ordinarily only had animal to help humans do chore .

The oldest recorded pet cemetery — some 2,000 years erstwhile — has been discovered in Egypt , harmonize toPolish researcher .

On the seashore of the Red Sea in southwest Egypt , the researcher say the giant burial ground provides evidence that people in the ancient world did , in fact , treat some beast as dearie instead of as utilitarian animal who did occupation .

cat at Egyptian temple

Photo: Sandra Vieira / EyeEm / Getty

" The fundamental conclusion is a detectable desire of human beings to be in the company of animals , resulting not only from their usable or economic benefit , " the study reads .

grant to the study , which was published inWorld Archeology , archaeologists examined the website , located at the ancient port of Berenice from 2011–2020 . They discovered 585 body clearly identified as animals , but there were plenty of extra remain the scientist could n’t identify , indicating many more brute were buried there . ( No humans , though , which researchers said made it an outlier . )

More than 91 percent of the identifiable animals are domesticated computed axial tomography , scientists suppose . Just over 5 percent are dogs while 2.7 percent are monkeys . Archaeologists also found one Barbary falcon , one Rüppell ’s slyboots , and two macaques , which are another kind of primate .

The project ’s lead research worker Marta Osypińska , a zooarchaeologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences , told Live Sciencethat there were no signs that the animals had been down by people — which has been evident at other site . In fact , the animals were all " carefully buried , " some enfold in blankets or next to shells or other memento .

The subject area was also able to influence the years of some of the animals , along with their sexuality and whether they suffered from specific disease — which , evidently , their man cared for . The scientists could even tell that some of the animals had eaten fish .

Meanwhile , the study added that the modest wienerwurst and macaques have no genuine service value . It seemed evident that these beast were probable just human companions when they were active .

" We think that in Berenice the beast were not forfeit to the gods , but just pets , " Osypińska told Live Science .