It is from the Noun that everything is born
This is little bright blue hippopotamus seems to be captured in full stride. Discovered in 1860 near Thebes in Egypt - and sold to the Louvre at the end of the 19th century by Egyptologists at the Cairo Museum - its origins remain unknown. From its style, the date of creation is estimated at the end of the 12th dynasty or the start of the 13th.
It is one of many hippopotamus figures found in the tombs of high-ranking Egyptian officials, especially those of the late Middle Kingdom. They were often placed in the crypt next to the coffin, statues, vases and toiletries. The hippopotamus symbolises the primordial swamp, known as the Noun.
L'Hippopotame. Musée du Louvre ©GrandPalaisRmn / Christian Décamps
L'Hippopotame. Musée du Louvre ©GrandPalaisRmn / Christian Décamps
L'Hippopotame. Musée du Louvre ©GrandPalaisRmn / Christian Décamps
Hippopotamus Hiéroglyphes
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Did you know ?
The blue of the Hippopotamus represents the fertility and strength of nature due to its connection to the Nile.
A genesis myth explains that on the first morning of the world, the sun emerged from a lotus flower: It is from the Noun that everything is born. Deposited with the mummy, the statue was used to herald the deceased's rebirth.
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