Rats in Egypt The Egyptians and Phrygians deified rats. The people of Basso'ra and Cambay to the present time forbid their destruction. In Egypt the rat symbolized "utter destruction;" it also symbolized "judgment," because rats always choose the best bread for their repast. Source: E. Cobham Brewer 1810­1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.