slam-ancient: Hippopotamus, Egyptian, 1783–1640 BC, Saint Louis Art Museum: Ancient Art https

slam-ancient:

Hippopotamus, Egyptian, 1783–1640 BC,Saint Louis Art Museum: Ancient Art

https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/619/

“Small sculptures of hippos such as this one were placed in tombs in ancient Egypt as reminders of the Egyptians’ love of hunting. Each of the sculpted hippo’s legs was ritually broken in order to render it harmless in the afterlife. In ancient Egypt herds of hippos were a constant threat to farmers’ fields. The first pharaohs hunted hippos in the marshes and eventually drove them far south into Upper Egypt. Hippos became associated with chaos, and the hunt for hippos became a metaphor for how the pharaohs of ancient Egypt could conquer evil.”