I refer to this piece as the βAncient Egyptian version of Tom and Jerryβ!”
This is an ostracon (or ostraca), which is pretty much a sketch on a limestone fragment. Instead of using papyrus π πππ(which was expensive) to practice drawing, the ancient Egyptian ππππ artists or scribes ππ would use pieces of limestone. It is dated to the 19th-20th Dynasties, aka the Ramesside Period.
Whatβs funny about this is it shows the mouse being served or attended to by the cat π ππ ±π . The cat π ππ ±π is presenting the mouse with a goose as an offering ππ΅ while also fanning him. Itβs almost like an opposite because the cat π ππ ±π is usually the predator while the mouse is the prey. This could have been some type of satire on the elite during the Ramesside period, or a visual representation of a fable that is now lost. Many ostraca from this time period show animals doing human activities!