Egyptians discover Alexandrian temple dedicated to Bastet

A team of 18 working for the Supreme Council of Antiquities have discovered the ruins of a temple believed to be dedicated to the cat-god Bastet, according to Head of Antiquities Dr. Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud. Its presence suggests the continuing worship of the feline deity after the decline of ancient Egypt.

The temple belonged to Queen Berenice II; wife to Ptolemy III, who reigned 246–222 BCE and erected the Stone of Canopus - the first in the bilingual Rosetta stone series.

Initially depicted as a leonine, male figure, the being once known as Bast had, by this time acquired a more domestic, feminine persona nicknamed the perfumed protector; a suitable choice for a queen. However, the cat-god ultimately failed to prevent Berenice's son from murdering his mother and marrying his sister.