Nummline: A Chronology of Cat History & Cat Worship

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Proto-Nummist Era (Dawn of Feline Time to 1988 CE)

True Nummist Era (1988 CE to Eternity)—in progress

			Proto-Nummist Era (Dawn of Feline Time to 1988 CE)
c.	7500	BCE	Shillourokambos, Cyprus: A wildcat and human are ceremonially buried side-by-side. The remains show no marks of violence. (Further reading offsite: Wikipedia, "Cat")
c.	6000	BCE	Anatolia: Statues depict human women playing with domestic cats.
c.	4000	BCE	Egypt: Human writers describe cats protecting grain from vermin.
c.	3000	BCE	Per-Bast (Bubastis), Egypt: The protector-goddess Bast is depicted in feline form. Cats are mummified in the Temple of Bast. (Further reading offsite: Wikipedia, "Bastet (mythology)"; Wikipedia, "Cats in Ancient Egypt")
c.	500	BCE	South Asia: Cats are mentioned in the great Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and the Mahadharata. Hindus are expected to care for one or more cats in life.
c.	490	BCE	China: Confucius plays the qin (harp-like instrument) with an anxious sound while he watches his cat hunt an ill-fated mouse. The incident is overheard by two of Confucius's disciples, Min Sun and Zeng Shen. (Further reading offsite: John Thompson, "Minzi")
c.	440	BCE	Greece and Egypt: The Greek historian Herodotus visits Egyptian sites, including the Temple of Bast. Once back in Greece, he recounts the details of Egyptian religion. Greeks identify Bast with the hunter-goddess Artemis, who in turn is identified with Hecate, goddess of night and witchcraft. These associations might influence later eras' superstitions about cats.
c.	60	BCE	Alexandria, Egypt: A Roman chariot runs over an Egyptian cat. An Egyptian mob kills the Roman driver—despite pleas from Ptolemy XII, who has allied with Rome. The Greek historian Siculus is present.
	390	CE	Egypt: The cult of Bast is outlawed by Roman imperial decree. Cats lose spiritual significance in Egyptian culture.
c.	400	CE	China and Japan: Mystics believe that good people are reincarnated as cats. Stray cats are welcomed into homes.
c.	600	CE	Japan: Buddhist monks introduce new breeds of domestic cats.
c.	620	CE	Arabia: Muezza, the cat of Muhammad, falls asleep on the sleeve of Muhammad's robe. Rather than disturbing her when he must leave for prayer, Muhammad cuts off the sleeve of the robe. Subsequently, cats are the only animals permitted to enter mosques.
c.	800	CE	Reichenau, Germany: A Benedictine monk pens verses that liken his nightly hunt for knowledge to the mousing of his cat, Pangur Bán. The monk writes anonymously but his poem and the feline name "Pangur Bán" ("White Kitty") are in the Old Irish vernacular, suggesting that the monk is an expatriate. (Further reading offsite: Irish Culture and Customs, "Pangur Ban")
c.	1000	CE	Japan: Emperor Ichijo—who cares for five cats—decrees that cats shall no longer be put to work (hunting rodents). Mice infest the silk factories. Statues of cats fail to deter them. The decree is repealed.
	1347	CE	The Black Death reaches Europe. Out of superstition, Pope Clement VI promotes the ritual killing of cats (already practiced sporadically in Medieval Christian festivals). As the cat population declines, the rat population explodes, contributing to the spread of disease. A sharp decline in the human population stems the killings of cats.
	1620	CE	Plymouth, Massachusetts: Barnyard cats arrive on the Mayflower. (Further reading offsite: Cats & Kittens Magazine, "American Shorthair: The Working Cat")
c.	1650	CE	Hikone, Japan: Naotaka Ii, the local Lord, is passing an impoverished Buddhist monastery when he sees the monks' cat, Tama, beckoning to him. Naotaka enters the building, then lightning strikes the spot where he had stood. A cat with one forepaw raised—called "Maneki Neko" ("beckoning cat")—becomes symbolic of Kannon, goddess of mercy. Such cat statuettes are commonly displayed in shop windows.
	1759	CE	Bethnal Green, England: The poet Christopher Smart, with his cat Jeoffry, is confined in the madhouse. Smart writes "my Cat Jeoffry", among other religious poems, during the four-year internment.
c.	1765	CE	London, England: Samuel Johnson—lifetime owner of many cats, of whom Lily and Hodge are named in writing—condemns violence against cats, whether in the home or in the street. Dr. Johnson is frequently seen buying oysters for Hodge and also buys valerian (similar to catnip) in the last days of Hodge's life. (Further reading offsite: Wikipedia, "Hodge (cat)")
	1860	CE	Washington, D.C.: Tabby, Abraham Lincoln's cat, becomes the first cat to take up residence in the White House.
c.	1880	CE	Valvins, France: The poet Stéphane Mallarmé names his cat Lilith, after an obscure demonic or (in some versions) angelic figure of Assyrian, Hebrew, Parsee and Arabian mythology. Lilith (the cat) is the daughter of Banville's cat and granddaughter of Gautier's cat.
c.	1890	CE	Great Britain: A market burgeons for Christmas cards illustrated with cats. Queen Victoria—who has cared for many cats and will be outlived by her favourite, White Heather—is the most prestigious and discriminating customer. (Further reading offsite: Meow City, "What is a Victorian Cat")
	1939	CE	London, England: T. S. Eliot publishes Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, of which one line contains the name of his own cat, Jellylorum.
	1981	CE	London, England: Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical Cats premieres. Based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the musical includes Jellylorum as one of the chorus roles.

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			True Nummist Era (1988 CE to Eternity)—in progress
	1988	CE	1st Spot, Nummist Homelands: Dr. L. S. River, NummNumm, elder in His litter of two brothers, is born on an unrecorded day to unrecorded parents and unrecorded human guardians. Authorities remove Him, along with His younger brother, from these original living arrangements for an unrecorded reason. Nummists will later refer to this unrecorded reason as the TKE (Traumatic Kittenhood Experience).
			Null Spot (a.k.a. "The Vets"), Nummist Homelands: Dr. L. S. River's date of birth is estimated to fall between October 29 and November 12 (i.e. November 5 plus or minus one week). He remains unnamed until His adoption, when His name is recorded as Little Sackville River.
			2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: During December, Dr. L. S. River is adopted into the household of Howse. On arrival, he meets Dame Precious Puss-Puss Paws, who, being over one year His senior, is an enthralling and mystifying figure to Him. He also makes first contact with King Leo Lazy Lion, whom the Howse keepers have recently (and unexpectedly) recovered, five days after Leo romped off in the pelting snow. The scent of the furniture has already shifted dramatically in this interval, and the homecoming of another cat seems not to please Leo. The egos of two lifetimes are set in disequilibrium.
	1989	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Dr. L. S. River, currently addressed as Little Sackville River or Sackville or Sackville Baggins or Baggins, explores the hiding places of His residence and identifies the best ones: spaces behind household appliances. He is drawn out of His reclusion by the revelation of the route to the outdoors, where Leo is wont to wander for up to several days and Puss-Puss up to several minutes. Upon the inside doorstep, he learns the meaning of "No", then he learns to circumvent it. Once out, he masters the hunting arts by studying Puss-Puss. To her mentorial credit, His achievements in hunting soon surpass hers.
	1990	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Mouse-based computer interfaces are introduced into the household of Howse. The computer quickly becomes the favourite social and intellectual centrepiece for the indoor, daytime pursuits of Dr. L. S. River.
	1991	CE	2nd Spot and Null Spot, Nummist Homelands: Dr. L. S. River receives frequent examinations for wounds suffered in defence of the Nummist Homelands. Many of these bites and scratches are on His tail base. His tail loses some of its natural suppleness but He is always pleased to have it wagged by anyone admitting Him after His most recent exploits outdoors.
	1992	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: As youth's shrink-wrap of shyness begins to slough off with age, Dr. L. S. River's amiable, reassuring, diffident yet impressive manners become manifest to nearly everyone, leading Him to be variously referred to as "the charming young man", "our charming young man" or (in direct address) "you charming young man". A memorable, courteous gesture of His is to bob the chin twice upward in quick succession when welcoming an entrant into the room.
	1993	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Progressively, Dr. L. S. River's inter-feline relations with Puss-Puss and Leo suffer due to irresistible passions and immovable furniture. This leads Dr. L. S. River to more actively seek companionship in the Howse keepers instead. Particularly, He lays claim to the overcoats, sweaters and blankets of Janet Howse, who will later be termed the MumMum of NummNumm.
	1994	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Yellow-plumed birds, Dr. L. S. River's prey of choice, largely disappear from the locality. Dr. L. S. River will later repent His unsustainable hunting practices, instead preferring to watch wildlife out the window and on documentary television.
	1996	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Dr. L. S. River begins to chew pencils (and shred paper) with unprecedented fervor and frequency. The sound of His pencil-chewing (and in some accounts His paper-shredding) is transliterated as "NummNumm". This becomes His most common appellation, largely supplanting Little Sackville River, Sackville, Sackville Baggins or Baggins. From observation of NummNumm emerges the hypothesis of One Numm who is the Supreme Being and is also One with NummNumm, His Prophet and Avatar. The Howse keepers are each ordained an apostle of the Nummist creed by chewing on the same yellow HB pencil as does Dr. L. S. River, NummNumm.
	1997	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Nummist rituals gradually evolve. One ritual involves breaking off crumbs of angel food cake to feed to NummNumm each evening. This practice is ultimately discontinued, as weight control becomes problematic. Another ritual is to climb upstairs side-by-side with NummNumm, who is allowed to pause on every step, where he is patted, praised and gently nudged along. This practice is continued for as long as NummNumm wishes (five years), often on several occasions per night if He wakes to roam downstairs and howl.
	1998	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Concern over NummNumm's recurring catfight wounds (often incurred in eighteen-hour campaigns) lead the Howse keepers to place constraints on His movements. A cat leash is purchased but falls into disuse after an ingenious and daring escape, which involves jumping into water. A curfew is more successful. Later in life, when he exhibits lesser physical obstreperousness, Dr. L. S. River will accept and anticipate the company afforded by leashed walks.
	2000	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Nummism begins to influence the arts and sciences, as pursued by the Howse keepers. Janet, Samuel and Joseph Howse, respectively, begin to explore the principles of Nummist painting, programming and literature. At this point, the title "Dr." is affixed to NummNumm's original name, Little Sackville River, as in "Dr. L. S. River, NummNumm".
	2002	CE	2nd Spot, Nummist Homelands: The first of the classic masterpieces of Nummist video are produced. A great packing of stuff is undertaken by the Howse keepers. The cats are confined in one room. Leo has howling fits (but falls silent once struck by Dr. L. S. River) and begins to suffer stress-related colitis, which will be mercifully cured in due course.
			3rd Spot, Nummist Homelands: An automotive voyage leads to another closed room, which is unfamiliar yet much too dirty to be Null Spot. Access to the outdoors and even to the broader indoors remains limited for weeks, especially when strange primates are about. Noise and dust are pervasive. Finally, work is completed on an outdoor enclosure—an inescapable one (with some exceptions, as discovered by NummNumm and resolved by the Howse keepers) yet ever so serene, complete with running water, grass, lawn chairs and fully windowed sides.
	2003	CE	3rd Spot, Nummist Homelands: Revitalization begins in the pursuit of Nummist computer science, painting and digital art. At the same time, however, more and more primate resources must be committed to the dietary and medicinal requirements of the cats. The last of the classic masterpieces of Nummist video are produced.
	2004	CE	3rd Spot, Nummist Homelands: The revitalization extends to Nummist photography and literature. Puss-Puss increasingly withdraws for deep meditations in her bedroom closet. Nonetheless, she remains the paragon of affection and devotion to those whom she has raised as her family. Nummist works are dedicated to her memory after she exits NummNumm's mortal domain on the morning of May 20. Two days later, the kitten Plasma Tigerlily Zoya is adopted into the Nummist household. She regards Dr. L. S. River and later Leo as her guardians and mentors. Eucatastrophic Creations, an online gallery of Nummist art, is launched in the late hours of New Year's Eve.
	2005	CE	3rd Spot, Nummist Homelands: From His home, where he is surrounded by the Nummists, NummNumm exits His mortal domain. This occurs shortly after the midnight of June 21/22, the year's shortest night (summer solstice) in this hemisphere. Nummists remark that the full moon is shining amid pale beige clouds. This same night, Plasma Tigerlily Zoya is named High Priestess of the Numm. Her first dictates, as interpreted by the Nummists, are to esteem as holiest the sofa where NummNumm has spent the past day and to accelerate development of nummist.com, previously conceived during one of NummNumm's convalescences.
	2017	CE	3rd Spot, N Nummist Homelands: On the morning of August 30, High Priestess Plasma Tigerlily Zoya finds her health failing. She gives benedictions, including the ceremonial Passing of the Pencil to Sanibel Delphinium Andromeda. With members of the Howse keepers, Plasma departs for Null Spot, whence she exits the mortal domain. That afternoon, at 3rd Spot, Sanibel Delphinium Andromeda is confirmed as the new High Priestess of the Numm.

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