Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell got it all wrong — it’s temple of the CAT, not of the Dog. At least in Egypt. The Guardian reported on Tuesday that a 2,200-year-old temple that may have been dedicated to the ancient Egyptian cat goddess Bastet was unearthed by Egyptian archaeologists in Alexandria. 

Bastet, or Bast, was the patron of the sun (early Egypt), the moon (after the Greeks) and was often depicted as a woman with a cats head and was the protector of cats and cat owners. Cats were highly regarded in Ancient Egypt, where the species was first domesticated 4,000 years ago. They were respected and revered for their ability to ward off snakes and
vermin, but Egyptians took their love affair with cats further, bringing them into their households, but also worshipping them as gods. Cats were so well-loved in Egypt, that if a human killed a feline, even if by accident, that human was sentenced to death!

Read more about cats in Ancient Egypt here.