In 1890, archaeologists discovered more than 300,000 cat mummies buried in an underground sanctuary dedicated to Bastet at Ben Hassan. Beside the cat mummies were mummified mice - food for cats' journey into the afterlife. Cats were also domisticated in the Far East in ancient times,probably around 2000 BC. They may have arisen from the Asian desert cat (F. sylvestris ornata) and be the forebears of the longhaired domestic cat.