It has been found in a new study that in ancient Egypt, many people were devotees of Anubis, the jackal-headed god of death. So many people worshipped Anubis that the catacombs alongside his sacred temple one time had around 8 million mummified puppies and grown dogs.

In honor of Anubis in Saqqara, Ancient Egyptians built the temple and catacomb. Saqqara was a burial ground in Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis.

According to the study's lead researcher, Paul Nicholson, a professor of archaeology at Cardiff University, "It would have been a busy place. A permanent community of people living there supported by the animal cults".

French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan published a paper in 1897, related to the necropolis at Memphis, however didn't find much about the canine catacombs. According to the researchers, many other researchers have also studied the dog catacombs, however the new research is the first that has studied it deeply. The study has been published in the journal Antiquity.

As per reports, the catacomb is 568 feet down the center passageway, having a maximum width of 459 feet from the branch corridors. The researchers found the mummies of foxes, jackals, falcons, cats and mongoose in addition to canine mummies. However, 92% of the remains were of dogs. Most of the mummies have disintegrated or are disrupted by industrialists and grave robbers as they probably used them for fertilizer.

According to Nicholson, it seems that pilgrims visiting Saqqara considered the display of the mummies as expressions of gratefulness to the gods, especially Anubis, who was shown with the head of a jackal or wild dog.