Scaraboid in the Form of a Hedgehog
New Kingdom–Third Intermediate Period (about 1550–664 BCE)
Medium
Steatite
Dimensions
1.8 × 2 × 1.2 cm (3/4 × 13/16 × 1/2 in.)
Classification
scaraboids
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
140366
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This amulet’s large, alert ears indicate that it likely represents the long-eared hedgehog (hemiechinus auritus), one of two hedgehog species native to North Africa. Despite their small stature, hedgehogs have many defenses against the harsh desert environment that ancient Egyptians admired. They use their spines for protection from predators and have immunity to snake and scorpion venom. Ancient Egyptians may have also associated hedgehogs with cycles of rebirth because they are hibernating ani...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....