This Egyptian cat statuette is here to set the record straight. Yes, she’s a little bit of a diva, but don’t all cats deserve to be worshiped? No, she’s not really the goddess Bastet, just an offering to her, thank you very much. And no, she’s certainly no phony! Hear about the role of cats in ancient Egypt and how this statuette proved her age, with a little help from some conservation scientists.

This podcast uses episode-specific artwork. If you don’t see an image of the Bastet statuette with this episode, you may have to turn on this setting in your podcast app.

For a listening guide, a coloring sheet, images, and more, visit getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/.