Hunting big kind of fish in Ancient Egypt (Inside the tomb ofKagemni, Saqqara) |
The kinds most highly regarded were the oxyrhynchus, "lepidotus" and "lotus".
The oxyrhynchus is now believed to have been the mormyrus or the "mizdeh" of the Arabs. It has a settled skin and a long nose, pointed down. In some dominions it was held sacred to Athor.
The "lepidotus" may have been "the salmo dentex" or "the binny" (Cyprinis lepidotus). As its name entails, its body was covered with long scales. Its flesh was prime.
The lotus, devoted in the area of Latopolis, is thought by De Pauw to be the perca nilotica.
Model of a Fishing Scene (Inside the Tomb of Meketre 12th dynasty) |
Crocodiles were took sacred in the region of Lake Moeris and of Thebes, but were eaten by the indigene of the south frontier.