Berenike: The Ancient Animal Burials That Don’t Make Sense

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]They weren't supposed to be buried like this. Nearly 2,000 years ago in a remote desert port on the Red Sea, a place called Berenice, hundreds of cats and dogs were found buried. At first, nothing about it stood out, just small graves scattered in the sand, but they weren't thrown away. Some of the animals had broken bones, injuries that should have ended there, but they healed, which means they didn't survive on their own.

[00:00:23]Someone kept them alive long enough for those injuries to mend, and this wasn't a place where that was easy. Food had to be brought in, water was limited, everything here cost something, and still it continued. Others were wrapped and buried one by one in a place built for trade and survival. This is what someone chose to do, and this is where it stops making sense.