Shrew

Unknown

304 B.C.–30 B.C. · Cupreous metal · Egyptian Art

"The voracious" was the ancient Egyptians'name for the shrew, an epithet that aptly describes the feeding habits of this tiny animal. In ancient Egyptian mythology the shrew was closely associated with the ichneumon. The shrew represented the blind aspect of a solar deity whose complement, endowed with keen eyesight, was understood to be the ichneumon.

Artist

Unknown

Date

304 B.C.–30 B.C.

Medium

Cupreous metal

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904