A small, wooden diorama found in an ancient Egyptian tomb reflects the importance of grain in an agricultural society.

With sharp catlike teeth and a doglike body, ancient carnivores called hyaenodonts were once at the top of the food chain ... a nod to the cat-headed ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet because ...

and the pharaohs controlled the main food-producing area: the Nile Valley. Keeping track of grain supplies was therefore crucial to ancient Egyptian society, according to the Met. In Meketre's ...