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Monkeys and baboons were trained and kept as pets in ancient Egypt, often exported from regions like Kush and Punt. In Egyptian iconography, baboons, apes, and monkeys were associated with gods like Thoth, Babi, and Hapy, son of Horus.
Pictured: Egyptian limestone plaque depicting a man holding an ibex while a monkey perches on his shoulder. Memphis, Egypt. Ptolemaic Period, 300-27 BCE.
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland.