Noted rodmaker Jeff Hatton shared with me his nearly 5000 year old "field find" which now serves as part of his collection of historic fishing tackle.
At the bottom of the above pic is a ca. 2800 B.C. year Egyptian mummified fish! Keep in mind that this original mummy likely dates from the Early Dynastic Period and appears coterminous with the building of the first great pyramids. It was part of a university museum and now resides in Hatton's burgeoning historical display.
By the way, the top piece is an Ushabti of Hat Mehit ca. 2200 B.C. Hat Mehit was the fish goddess of the Ancient Egyptians known as the "Chief of Fish." In Egyptian mythology, Hat Mehit was the wife of the God Osirus and the mother of Horus, and later was identified as a form of the famed Goddess Isis. An Ushabti is a funerary figure placed in tombs.
Not too often you get to see five thousand year old fishing collectables!
-- Dr. Todd
