Hedgehog Rattle
1 of 5
Object Label
The hollow body of this hedgehog figure contains tiny pellets that rattled when it was shaken. The rattles were used to ward off harmful forces such as snakes, scorpions, or malevolent spirits. When attacked, a hedgehog rolls into a ball, presenting a mass of pointed spines to the predator. To the Egyptians, this behavior—imitated in this figure—made the hedgehog an ideal protective symbol.
Caption
Hedgehog Rattle, ca. 1938–1700 B.C.E.. Faience, 3 x 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (7.6 x 4.4 x 3.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 59.186. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 59.186_NegA_bw_SL4.jpg)
Title
Hedgehog Rattle
Date
ca. 1938–1700 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 12 to early Dynasty 13
Period
Middle Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Faience
Classification
Dimensions
3 x 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (7.6 x 4.4 x 3.5 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
59.186
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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