Hedgehogs held a special place in ancient Egyptian life like many other desert- and marsh-dwelling animals. Their natural defensive qualities were admired by ancient Egyptians and their bodily parts, notably their hardened spines, were used as ingredients in medico-magical prescriptions. In tomb reliefs of the late 3rd Millennium BCE, hedgehogs are represented being carried alive by offering bearers or as background participants in desert hunting scenes. In later periods of Egyptian history, rattles, small unguent vessels, and scaraboid amulets were made in their shape, all of which are presumed to have had apotropaic purposes. A particular votive object of the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE) is a palm-sized modelled boat with a prow in the shape of a hedgehog head, which has been discovered at sites throughout Egypt. A similar representation of this motif is the so-called ‘Henet’-boat (from the word ḥnt[j]) with a hedgehog head at the prow facing inwards, which is found in late Old Kingdom art. This article reassesses the role of hedgehogs as protective or apotropaic entities and their association with boats, considering how ancient Egyptians understood their ecology and their predation of snakes, scorpions, and similar stinging creatures. An updated list is provided of known representations of hedgehog-head boats, including petroglyphs and as yet unpublished examples from tombs at Giza and Saqqara. The meaning of the ancient Egyptian word ḥnt(j) is also rexamined in relation to the representation of riverine and marsh-water boats in Old Kingdom tombs.

中文翻译：

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公元前 3 世纪晚期古埃及宗教中的刺猬和刺猬头船

与许多其他生活在沙漠和沼泽中的动物一样，刺猬在古埃及的生活中占有特殊的地位。它们的天然防御品质受到古埃及人的钦佩，它们的身体部位，尤其是硬化的脊椎，被用作医学魔法处方的成分。在公元前 3 世纪晚期的墓葬浮雕中，刺猬被描绘成通过提供携带者或作为沙漠狩猎场景的背景参与者被活生生地抬着。在埃及历史的后期，拨浪鼓、小油膏器皿和金龟子护身符被制成它们的形状，所有这些都被认为具有驱邪用途。古王国（约公元前 2686 年至 2181 年）的一个特殊还愿对象是一艘手掌大小的模型船，船头呈刺猬头形状，已在埃及各地发现。这个主题的一个类似表示是所谓的“Henet”船（来自单词ḥnt[j]），船头有一个刺猬头朝内，这在旧王国晚期的艺术中被发现。本文重新评估了刺猬作为保护或驱虫实体的作用及其与船的关系，考虑到古埃及人如何理解他们的生态以及他们捕食蛇、蝎子和类似的刺痛生物。提供了已知的刺猬头船代表的更新列表，包括岩画和尚未发表的吉萨和萨卡拉墓葬的例子。古埃及词 ḥnt(j) 的含义也与旧王国墓葬中河流和沼泽水船的表示有关。这是在旧王国晚期艺术中发现的。本文重新评估了刺猬作为保护或驱虫实体的作用及其与船的关系，考虑到古埃及人如何理解他们的生态以及他们捕食蛇、蝎子和类似的刺痛生物。提供了已知的刺猬头船代表的更新列表，包括岩画和尚未发表的吉萨和萨卡拉墓葬的例子。古埃及词 ḥnt(j) 的含义也与旧王国墓葬中河流和沼泽水船的表示有关。这是在旧王国晚期艺术中发现的。本文重新评估了刺猬作为保护或驱虫实体的作用及其与船的关系，考虑到古埃及人如何理解他们的生态以及他们捕食蛇、蝎子和类似的刺痛生物。提供了已知的刺猬头船代表的更新列表，包括岩画和尚未发表的吉萨和萨卡拉墓葬的例子。古埃及词 ḥnt(j) 的含义也与旧王国墓葬中河流和沼泽水船的表示有关。蝎子和类似的刺痛生物。提供了已知的刺猬头船代表的更新列表，包括岩画和尚未发表的吉萨和萨卡拉墓葬的例子。古埃及词 ḥnt(j) 的含义也与旧王国墓葬中河流和沼泽水船的表示有关。蝎子和类似的刺痛生物。提供了已知的刺猬头船代表的更新列表，包括岩画和尚未发表的吉萨和萨卡拉墓葬的例子。古埃及词 ḥnt(j) 的含义也与旧王国墓葬中河流和沼泽水船的表示有关。