An ancient Egyptian catacomb has been examined, housing the mummified remains of eight million dogs. This bizarre animal tomb is located beneath the same grounds which holds the oldest pyramid in Egypt.

The Catacombs of the canine god Anubis date from a time which covers two distinct points in the history of Egypt, from the end of independent governorship, to the Ptolemaic Preiod (B.C.E. 332 - 30), when Greece ruled Egypt. They are located northeast of the step pyramid in Saqqara.

People were mummified in an effort to preserve their bodies for the afterlife, and humans were often buried along with the preserved remains of animals and worldly goods. Catacombs served as a center for visitors coming to pay respects to the departed. These crowds would purchase large numbers of vases and statues to leave at the catacomb as an offering. These sales could be vital to the local economy in a given area.

The area was known by locals, but had been largely unexplored by archaeologists due to the poor condition of must of the artifacts known to lie within the structure. A map created in 1897 shows the canine-centered catacomb, but not in detail, due to the scale of the drawing.

Researchers from Cardiff University's School of History are undertaking a new study of the ancient resting place.

"The survey... is allowing us to reconstruct the development of the monument and - to our surprise - its later use.  We believe that in the late 19th and perhaps early 20th centuries the site was exploited for its mummies which were taken away and probably used for fertiliser manufacture," Cardiff University officials stated in a press release.

Among the plethora of statues and other artifacts, researchers estimate the catacomb contains at least eight million canine mummies. Analysis of these objects reveal that many of the animals were young when they died, including many newborns. The sheer number of puppy remains at the catacomb strongly suggest there was likely a breeding center nearby the center, impregnating dogs to harvest the puppies.

Future research will include studying the catacomb, in order to determine the time during which various parts of the structure were constructed. Doing so could assist investigators in learning how many animals were required each year to feed the trade.

Within the catacomb, the ceiling features a 48-million-year-old fossil of an ancient sea creature.

Many more contemporary animal mummies in Egypt were recently discovered to be hoaxes, containing little to no animal remains.

Photo: Marc Dalmulder | Flickr