In a fascinating episode of the PBS Digital Studios series Eons, host Blake de Pastino explains how modern cats originated from two very different ancient feline source populations that were thousands of years apart from one another.
The more commonly known source population came from Egypt, where cats were worshipped as gods. Yet an ancient grave site from Cyprus included both a man and a young cat, both buried together. The existence of this grave proves that cats were essentially domesticated twice.
A 9,500 year old burial in Cyprus represents some of the oldest known evidence of human/cat companionships anywhere in the world. But when did this close relationship between humans and cats start? And how did humans help cats take over the world?
