【简译】古代埃及的宠物

2023年8月6日发(作者：杜宇新)

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Pets were very important to the ancient Egyptians and considered gifts from the gods to be cared for until their death when they were expected to be returned to the divine realm from which they had come. In life, pets were well cared for and, at their death, were often mummified in the same way as people.

          宠物对于古埃及人来说非常重要，它们被认为是来自神的礼物，在其死前都要得到人们照顾，把它们送回来时的神界。在生活中，古埃及的宠物们会得到很好的照顾，在它们死后，往往会像人一样被做成木乃伊。

The ancient Egyptians kept animals as pets ranging from domesticated dogs and cats to baboons, monkeys, fish, gazelles, birds (especially falcons), lions, mongoose, and hippos. Crocodiles were even kept as sacred animals in the temples of the god Sobek. Scholars disagree on whether Egyptians actually worshipped animals as deities but are unanimous when it comes to how the people of ancient Egypt felt toward their pets: domesticated animals were just as popular and deeply loved as pets are in the present day.

          古埃及人将动物作为宠物饲养，从驯养的狗和猫到狒狒、猴子、鱼、瞪羚、鸟（尤其是猎鹰）、狮子、猫鼬和河马。鳄鱼甚至被作为神圣的动物饲养在索贝克神的庙宇中。学者们对埃及人是否真的把动物当作神灵来崇拜有不同意见，但在谈到古埃及人对他们的宠物的感受时，他们的观点是一致的：驯养的动物就像今天的宠物一样受欢迎，深受古埃及人喜爱。

One famous example illustrating this attachment is the high priestess Maatkare Mutemhat of the Twenty-First Dynasty (1077 - 943 BCE). Mutemhat was the daughter of the high priest Pinedjem I (1070 - 1032 BCE) and sister to the pharaoh Psusennes I (1047 - 1001 BCE). She followed her father's example and dedicated herself to the god Amun completely, taking the title "God's Wife" and choosing a life of celibacy when she took the praenomen (title) Maatkare ("Truth in the Soul of the Sun"). When Maatkare Mutemhat's mummy was discovered in the Theban necropolis, archaeologists found a smaller mummy, the size of a very young child, at her feet. The original interpretation was that this was her baby and she had died giving birth but this made no sense as Maatkare Mutemhat was known to be celibate. In 1968 CE, x-rays of the smaller mummy determined it was not her child but her pet monkey. Historian Don Nardo writes:

     The Egyptians were fond of animals, frequently depicting household pets in paintings and reliefs on their tomb walls. The pet-beneath-the-chair motif shows the master of the house seated with a pet cat beneath his chair. Dogs and monkeys were also frequently shown as pets. Because the Egyptians believed that the next world was a continuation of this one, and that you could 'take it with you' , it is not surprising that they had their pets mummified and included them in their tombs. (116)

          说明这种依存关系的一个著名例子是第二十一王朝（公元前1077-943年）的大祭司Maatkare Mutemhat。Maatkare Mutemhat是大祭司皮努杰姆一世（公元前1070-1032年）的女儿，也是法老普苏森尼斯一世（公元前1047-1001年）的妹妹。她以父亲为榜样，将自己完全献给了阿蒙神，获得了 "神之妻子"的称号，并在获得Maatkare（"太阳灵魂中的真理"）的称号时选择了单身主义生活。当Maatkare Mutemhat的木乃伊在忒拜古墓群中被考古学家发现时，他们在她的脚下发现了一具较小的木乃伊，大小和一个非常年轻的孩子差不多。最初的解释是，这是她的孩子，她在分娩时死亡；但这没有意义——众所周知，Maatkare Mutemhat是单身主义者。在公元1968年，专家对较小的木乃伊进行X射线检查，确定这不是她的孩子，而是她的宠物猴子。历史学家唐·纳尔多写道：

     埃及人喜欢动物，经常在墓壁上的绘画和浮雕中描绘家庭宠物。椅子下面的宠物图案显示，房子的主人坐在椅子下面有一只宠物猫。狗和猴子也经常被作为宠物出现。因为埃及人相信下一个世界是这个世界的延续，而且你可以 "带着它走"，所以他们把宠物做成木乃伊，并把它们放在墓穴里，这并不奇怪。(116)

Although exotic animals in egypt such as baboons, monkeys, hippos, and falcons were not uncommon, the ancient Egyptians seemed to favor the dog and cat as much as people today in the modern world. The dog was considered a very important member of the household and the cat is famously associated as the most popular Egyptian pet. Most households, it seems, had a pet cat - often more than one - and, to a lesser degree, a dog. Cats were more popular because of their close association with the goddess Bastet but also, on a practical level, because they could take care of themselves and rid the home of pests. Dogs, requiring more care, were more often kept by the upper classes who were better able to afford them.

          尽管狒狒、猴子、河马和猎鹰等异国动物在埃及并不少见，但古埃及人似乎和今天的现代人一样更喜欢狗和猫。狗被古埃及人认为是家庭中非常重要的成员，而猫则是最受欢迎的宠物。大多数家庭似乎都有一只宠物猫，通常不止一只；部分家庭会再养一只狗。猫更受欢迎，因为它们与巴斯泰特女神有着密切的联系，但从实际情况来看，也是因为它们可以照顾自己，并为家里清除害虫。狗，需要更多的照顾，通常由上层阶级饲养，他们更有能力负担饲养费用。

古 代 埃 及 的 狗

The dog was still very important to the Egyptians, no matter their social status. According to historian Jimmy Dunn, dogs "served a role in hunting, as guard and police dogs, in military actions, and as household pets" (1). The Egyptian word for dog was iwiw which referenced their bark (Dunn, 1). The dog breeds of ancient Egypt were the Basenji, Greyhound, Ibizan, Pharaoh, Saluki, and Whippet and dogs are referenced in the Predynastic Period of Egypt (c. 6000-3150 BCE) through rock carvings and c. 3500-3200 BCE, specifically during the Gerzean Culture (also known as Naqada II Period), in images and written text.

           狗对古埃及人来说也非常重要，无论他们的社会地位如何。根据历史学家吉米·邓恩的说法，狗 "在狩猎中发挥作用，作为警卫和警犭，在军事行动中发挥作用，还可以作家庭宠物"（1）。埃及语中狗的意思是iwiw，指的是它们的叫声（邓恩，1）。古埃及的犬品种有巴森吉犬、灰狗、伊比桑犬、法老犬、萨路基犬和惠比特犬。在埃及的前王朝时期（约公元前6000-3150年），通过石刻和公元前3500-3200年，特别是在格泽安文化（也称为纳卡达二世时期），在图像和文字中都提到了狗。

The Egyptians are credited with the invention of the dog collar (though it was probably first used in Mesopotamia) as an early wall painting dated c. 3500 BCE depicts a man walking his collared dog on leash. These early collars were simple leather bands but became increasingly ornate as time went on. The collars were designed in width to complement the kinds of breeds favored in Egypt. The Basenji, one of the oldest breeds in the world, is considered by some scholars to be the model for the god Anubis though the Ibizan and Pharaoh Hound are also equally qualified as is the Greyhound.

          古埃及人被认为是狗项圈的发明者（尽管它可能首先在美索不达米亚使用），因为一幅日期约为公元前3500年的早期壁画描绘了一个男人用狗链遛狗的情景。这些早期的项圈是简单的皮筋做成的，但随着时间的推移，狗项圈变得越来越华丽。项圈的设计宽度是为了配合埃及人喜欢的各种犬种。巴森吉犬是世界上最古老的犬种之一，被一些学者认为是阿努比斯神的模型，尽管伊比桑犬和法老猎犬也同样有作为模型的资格，灰狗也是如此。

Whichever breed inspired the image, dogs were closely linked to the jackal/dog god, Anubis, who guided the soul of the deceased to the Hall of Truth where the soul would be judged by the god Osiris. Domesticated dogs were buried with great ceremony in the temple of Anubis at Saqqara and the idea behind this seemed to be to help the deceased dogs pass on easily to the afterlife (known in Egypt as the Field of Reeds) where they could continue to enjoy their lives as they had on earth. At Abydos, there was a special cemetery reserved just for dogs.

          不管是哪个品种的狗，都与豺狼/狗神阿努比斯密切相关，阿努比斯引导死者的灵魂进入真理之殿，在那里灵魂将接受奥西里斯神的审判。驯养的狗在萨卡拉的阿努比斯神庙中被隆重地埋葬，这背后的想法似乎是为了帮助死去的狗轻松地进入来世（在埃及被称为芦苇地），在那里它们可以继续享受在人间的生活。在阿比多斯，有一个专门为狗保留的公墓。

Dogs were highly valued in Egypt as part of the family and, when a dog died, the family would have the dog mummified with as much care as they would pay for a human member of the family. Great grief was displayed over the death of a family dog and the family members would shave their bodies completely, including the eyebrows. As most Egyptian men and women shaved their heads to avoid lice and maintain basic hygiene, the absence of the eyebrows was the most notable sign of grief.

          在埃及，狗作为家庭成员的一部分，受到人们的高度重视。当狗死后，家人会把狗做成木乃伊，其精心程度不亚于为家庭中的成员付出的代价。家里的狗死后，古埃及人会表现出极大地悲痛，家庭成员会把他们的身体完全剃光，包括眉毛。由于大多数埃及男人和女人都剃了头，以避免虱子和保持基本卫生，因此没有眉毛是最明显的悲伤的标志。

Even so, it was believed that one would meet one's canine friend again in the afterlife. Tomb paintings of the pharaoh Tutankhamun show him in his chariot hunting with his dogs and Rameses the Great is also depicted similarly with his hunting dogs in the Field of Reeds; dogs were often buried with their masters, in fact, to provide this kind of companionship in the afterlife. The intimate relationship between dogs and their masters in Egypt is made clear through inscriptions in tombs, monuments, and temples and through Egyptian literature. Dunn writes:

     We even know many ancient Egyptian dog's names from leather collars as well as stelae and reliefs. They included names such as Brave One, Reliable, Good Herdsman, North-Wind, Antelope and even "Useless". Other names come from the dog's color, such as Blacky, while still other dogs were given numbers for names, such as "the Fifth". Many of the names seem to represent endearment, while others convey merely the dog's abilities or capabilities. However, even as in modern times, there could be negative connotations to dogs due to their nature as servants of man. Some texts include references to prisoners as 'the king's dog'. (Dunn, 2)

          即便如此，人们还是相信在来世会再次见到自己的犬类朋友。图坦卡蒙法老的墓画显示他在战车上与他的狗一起打猎，拉美西斯大帝也被描绘成与他在芦苇地的猎狗在一起；事实上，狗经常与它们的主人埋在一起，以便在来世继续相互陪伴。在埃及，狗和它们的主人之间的亲密关系通过墓葬、纪念碑和寺庙的铭文以及埃及文学作品得到了明确的体现。邓恩写道：

     我们甚至可以从皮革项圈以及石碑和浮雕中知道许多古埃及狗的名字。这些名字包括勇敢的人、可靠的人、好牧人、北风、羚羊，甚至还有 "无用"。其他的名字来自于狗的颜色，如Blacky，而还有一些狗的名字是用数字来表示的，如 "the Fifth"。许多名字似乎代表着爱慕之情，而其他的名字则仅仅表达了狗的能力或实力。然而，即使在现代，由于狗是人类的仆人，它们也可能有负面的含义。一些文本中提到囚犯是 "国王的狗"。(Dunn, 2)

Even though 'dog' could be used as an insult, many people seem to have named their dogs after people they loved, or even honored them with the names of gods. Although there is some evidence that cats were named, this practice was not as widespread as the naming of dogs. As noted, dogs were regularly buried with their masters and their names recorded. Some tombs show signs that the dog was killed at the master's death and then mummified while other dogs had died earlier than the master. In the catacombs of Saqqara, over eight million dog skeletons have been found which archaeologists have interpreted as evidence of sacrifice of dogs to Anubis but which could also simply be a necropolis for dogs.

          尽管 "狗 "可以作为一种对别人侮辱的称呼，但许多人似乎都以他们所爱的人的名字给他们的狗命名，甚至以神的名字来纪念他们。尽管有一些证据表明猫也有名字，但这种做法并不像狗的命名那样普遍。如前所述，狗经常与它们的主人一起被埋葬，它们的名字也被记录下来。一些墓穴显示，狗在主人死后被杀死，然后被制成木乃伊，而其他狗则比主人更早死亡。在萨卡拉的地下墓穴中，发现了800多万具狗的骨架，考古学家将其解释为将狗献给阿努比斯的证据，但这也可能只是一个狗的墓地。

古 代 埃 及 的 猫

The Egyptians are actually responsible for the name 'cat' in that it derives from the North African word for the animal, quattah and, as the cat was so closely associated with Egypt (and Egyptian trade came to greatly influence Greece and Rome) almost every other European nation employs variations on this word: French, chat; Swedish, katt; German, katze; Italian, gatto; Spanish, gato and so forth (Morris, 175). The colloquial word for a cat - 'puss' or 'pussy' - is also associated with Egypt in that it derives from the word Pasht, another name for the cat goddess Bastet. The cat is almost synonymous with Egypt through its association with the image of Bastet who was originally imagined as a ferocious wild cat, a lioness, but softened in time to become a housecat. Cats were prized not only for their company but their utility in that they kept the home clear of unwanted visitors such as rats and snakes.

           埃及人实际上对 "猫 "这个名字负有责任，因为它来自北非的动物词汇quattah，由于猫与埃及的关系如此密切（埃及的贸易对希腊和罗马产生了很大影响），几乎所有其他欧洲国家都采用了这个词的变体。法语，chat；瑞典语，katt；德语，katze；意大利语，gatto；西班牙语，gato等等（莫里斯，175）。猫的俗语--"puss "或 "pussy"--也与埃及有关，因为它来自Pasht一词，是猫女神Bastet的另一个名字。猫几乎是埃及的同义词，因为它与巴斯泰特的形象有关，巴斯泰特最初被想象成一只凶猛的野猫，或一只母狮，但随着时间的推移，它变得柔和起来，成为一只家猫。猫被珍视，不仅因为它们的陪伴，而且因为它们的实用性，它们使家里没有不受欢迎的访客，如老鼠和蛇。

Cats were so important to the ancient Egyptians that they literally sacrificed their country for them. In 525 BCE the Persian general Cambyses II invaded Egypt but was stopped by the Egyptian army at the city of Pelusium. The historian Polyaenus (2nd century CE) writes that Cambyses II, knowing the veneration the Egyptians held for cats, had the image of Bastet painted on his soliders' shields and, further, "ranged before his front line dogs, sheep, cats, ibises and whatever other animals the Egyptians hold dear" knowing that they would not fight against images of animals they loved. The Egyptians surrendered and the country fell to the Persians. During Cambyses II's victory march he is said to have hurled live cats at the Egyptian's faces to mock them for surrendering their country for an animal.

          猫对古埃及人是如此重要，以至于他们真的为猫牺牲了自己的国家。公元前525年，波斯将军坎比西斯二世入侵埃及，但在佩鲁西姆城被埃及军队阻止。历史学家波利艾努斯（公元前2世纪）写道，坎比西斯二世知道埃及人对猫的崇敬，于是在他的士兵的盾牌上画上了巴斯泰特的形象，而且，"在他的前线放上了狗、羊、猫、朱雀和其他埃及人珍爱的动物"，因为他知道埃及人不会与他们所爱的动物形象作战。埃及人投降了，国家落入波斯人之手。在坎比西斯二世的胜利游行中，据说他把活猫扔到埃及人的脸上，以嘲笑他们为了一种动物而投降。

The Egyptians did not seem to care whether a Persian understood their values or scorned them. They continued to honor the cat highly. Herodotus (c. 484 - 425 BCE) later wrote how, if a home were on fire in Egypt, the people would save the cats before saving themselves or trying to put out the fire. Herodotus also notes the custom of shaving body hair as a sign of grief:

     All the inhabitants of a house where a cat has died a natural death, shave their eyebrows and, when a dog dies, they shave the whole body including the head. Cats which have died are taken to Bubastis where they are embalmed and buried in sacred receptacles; dogs are buried in sacred burial places in the cities where they belong.

          埃及人似乎并不关心波斯人是理解他们的价值观还是蔑视他们。他们继续高度尊重这只猫。希罗多德（约公元前484-425年）后来写道，如果埃及人的住宅着火，人们会先救猫，然后再救自己或试图救出火。希罗多德还注意到剃除体毛的习俗，以示悲痛：

     在猫自然死亡的房子里，所有居民都要剃掉眉毛；当狗死亡时，他们要剃掉身上所有的毛发，包括头部。死去的猫被带到布巴斯提斯，在那里进行防腐措施，并被装在神圣的容器中下葬；狗被埋在它们所属城市的神圣的埋葬地里。

Some scholars have suggested that cats were ritually sacrificed to Bastet as so many mummified cats have been found in tombs but this claim is untenable. Mummified cats who were brought to Bubastis - the cult center of Bastet - were brought there in honor so they would be close to the goddess. This same paradigm can be seen in practices observed at other sites, such as Abydos, where people wanted to be buried - or at least have memorials erected - to be close to Osiris and have an easier access to the afterlife.

          一些学者认为，由于在墓穴中发现了许多木乃伊猫，所以猫被作为祭品献给巴斯泰特，但这种说法是站不住脚的。被带到Bubastis——Bastet的崇拜中心——的木乃伊猫是为了荣誉而被带到那里，这样它们就能接近女神了。在其他遗址观察到的做法中也可以看到同样的范式，比如阿比多斯，人们希望被埋葬、或者至少建立纪念碑，以接近奥西里斯，更容易进入来世。

Claims by some writers that cats were intentionally killed as sacrifices are almost impossible to accept. The penalty for killing a cat in Egypt - even by accident - was death so it is highly unlikely that cats would be killed as a sacrifice to a goddess whose role included the protection of cats. Cats were prized at such value that it was illegal to export them. The export of cats from Egypt was so strictly prohibited that a branch of the government was formed solely to deal with this issue. Government agents were dispatched to other lands to find and return cats which had been smuggled out.

          一些作家声称猫被故意杀死作为祭品，这种说法几乎是无法接受的。在古埃及，杀死一只猫的惩罚、即使是意外，也是死刑，所以猫极不可能被杀死作为献给女神的祭品，而女神的职责包括保护猫。猫的价值很高，出口它们是非法的。从埃及出口猫是被严格禁止的，以至于政府的一个部门专门负责处理这个问题。政府人员被派往其他国家，寻找并归还被偷运出去的猫。

异 国 他 乡 的 宠 物

As in the example of Maatkare Mutemhat, Egyptians also kept animals which today would be considered 'exotic pets'. The falcon, for example, represented the power of gods like Horus and Montu and were highly prized as pets. Pharaohs and earlier kings kept a falcon for hunting but also as a symbol of divine power. The ibis was another popular bird of the upper class which represented wisdom and the god Thoth. These birds, generally speaking, were too expensive for the lower classes to keep but mummified remains of the ibis suggest that they were still kept fairly widely. There were 500,000 mummified ibises found at the Saqqara complex alone.

          就像Maatkare Mutemhat的例子一样，古埃及人也会饲养一些今天被认为是 "外来宠物 "的动物。例如，猎鹰代表荷鲁斯和蒙图等神的力量，作为宠物受到高度重视。法老和早期的国王饲养猎鹰是为了打猎，但也是作为神力的象征。朱雀是上层社会另一种流行的鸟，代表着智慧和托斯神。一般来说，这些鸟对下层阶级来说过于昂贵，无法饲养，但朱鹮的木乃伊遗骸表明，它们仍然被广泛饲养。仅在萨卡拉建筑群就发现了50万具朱雀木乃伊。

The gazelle was another popular pet one would consider exotic in the present day but, to the Egyptians, was quite common. The most famous example of a mummified pet gazelle comes from the tomb of Queen Isiemkheb of the 21st Dynasty (c. 1069-943 BCE). Isiemkheb (sometimes known as Isi-em-kheb) lived under the reign of the pharaoh Pinedjem II (c. 990-976 BCE) and loved her pet gazelle so much she ordered a specially crafted sarcophagus for it. The coffin is carved with the image of the gazelle and formed to fit its body. The mummified gazelle, which was handled with the same care given to a human body, was found with Isiemkheb in her tomb and the preparations of both her mummy and her pet's, as well as the amulets found still in place, indicate there was every assurance the two would be united again in the Field of Reeds.

          瞪羚是另一种流行的宠物，在今天人们会认为它具有异国情调，但对埃及人来说，这是相当普遍的。最著名的宠物羚羊木乃伊的例子来自第21王朝（约公元前1069-943年）的女王伊塞特姆赫布的坟墓。伊塞特姆赫布（有时被称为Isi-em-kheb）生活在法老皮内杰姆二世（约公元前990-976年）的统治时期，她非常喜欢她的瞪羚，并为它订购了一个特别制作的石棺。棺材上雕刻着羚羊的形象，棺材大小满足它的遗体。在伊塞特姆赫布的墓中发现了这具木乃伊，它的处理方式与处理人体的方式相同，她的木乃伊和她的宠物木乃伊以及发现的护身符都表明，当时的人们相信，两者能在芦苇地里再次相遇。

Baboons and monkeys were often coddled as loving companions and were mummified and buried with their devoted masters and mistresses. Baboons seem to have been kept for largely ritualistic purposes as symbols of Thoth or Hapy but monkeys were more commonly kept as close pets. Monkeys could be easily trained and inscriptions seem to indicate they were quite useful to their owners in retrieving objects.

           狒狒和猴子经常被古埃及人当作可爱的伙伴，并被制成木乃伊，与它们忠实的主人和女主人一起埋葬。饲养狒狒似乎主要是为了祭祀的目的，作为托斯或哈皮的象征，但猴子更多的是作为亲密的宠物饲养。猴子很容易被训练，铭文似乎表明它们在取回物品方面对主人相当有用。

Although these exotic pets enjoyed a fairly comfortable life for the most part, it was not always so. Traci Watson, writing for National Geographic in 2015, explains:

For ancient Egyptians, owning a menagerie of exotic animals conveyed power and wealth. But the remains of baboons, hippos, and other elite pets buried more than 5,000 years ago in a graveyard near the Nile reveal the dark side of being a status symbol. Baboon skeletons found at one tomb bear dozens of broken hand and foot bones, hinting at punishing beatings. At least two baboons have classic parry fractures, broken arms that typically occur when trying to shield the head from a blow. A hippo calf broke its leg trying to free itself from a tether and an antelope and a wild cow also show injuries probably related to being tied. (1)

           虽然这些异国宠物在大多数情况下享有相当舒适的生活，但并不总是如此。特雷西·沃森在2015年为《国家地理》杂志撰稿时解释说：

     对于古埃及人来说，拥有一个由异国动物组成的动物园传达了权力与财富。但5000多年前埋葬在尼罗河附近墓地的狒狒、河马和其他精英宠物的遗骸揭示了作为地位象征的黑暗面。在一座坟墓中发现的狒狒骨架上有几十块断裂的手骨和脚骨，暗示着它们曾受到了惩罚性的殴打。至少有两只狒狒有典型的击打性骨折，这种骨折通常发生在试图保护头部免受打击的时候。一只河马的小腿为了挣脱拴绳而断裂，一只羚羊和一只野牛也显示出可能与被捆绑有关的伤害。(1)

Watson cites the scholar Wim Van Neer, of the Royal Beligain Institute of Natural Sciences, in concluding that Egyptians of earlier periods, who seem to have abused the animals in captivity, learned how to control them better in time. She writes that "mummified baboons from a later date show few signs of harsh treatment. Perhaps by then the ancient Egyptians had learned to keep animals without beating and tethering them" (2). Exotic animals were kept for any number of reasons and, among them, symbolic representations of power.

          沃森引用了皇家贝利根自然科学研究所的学者维姆·范尼尔的观点，认为早期的埃及人似乎曾虐待过被囚禁的动物，但随着时间的推移，他们学会了如何更好地控制它们。她写道："后来的狒狒木乃伊几乎没有显示出严厉对待的迹象。也许到那时，古埃及人已经学会了在饲养动物时不殴打和拴住它们"（2）。饲养异国动物有很多原因，其中有象征性的权力代表。

If a person kept a hippo as a pet, for example, they were "controlling a really chaotic force in nature" (Watson, 2). Crocodiles were kept for the same reason in certain temples as representatives of the god Sobek, the crocodile god. Sobek was considered a creator god in certain periods of Egyptian history and the sacred crocodiles in his temples were fed better than most humans of the time on choice cuts of meat and honey cakes. Crocodiles were mummified and preserved just as cats, dogs, monkeys, and other animals but the most potent animal preserved was the bull.

           例如，如果一个人饲养河马作为宠物，他们就是在 "控制自然界中一种真正混乱的力量"（Watson，2）。在某些寺庙里，鳄鱼也是出于同样的原因被饲养，作为鳄鱼神索贝克的代表。在埃及历史的某些时期，索贝克被认为是创世神，他的神庙中的神圣的鳄鱼被喂养得比当时的大多数人都要好，吃的是精选的肉片和蜂蜜饼。鳄鱼就像猫、狗、猴子和其他动物一样被做成木乃伊保存起来，但最有神力的动物是公牛。

阿 庇 斯 公 牛

The bull was not a pet but a sacred animal who represented the god Ptah in the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 - 2613 BCE). Historian Margaret Bunson writes:

     Apis, the sacred bull, was a theophany of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris cult at Memphis. The Palemro Stone and other records give an account of the festival honoring this animal. The ceremonies were normally called "the Running of Apis". The animal was also addressed as Hapi. The name 'Apis' is Greek for the Egyptian Hep or Hapi. The sacred bull of Apis was required to have a white crescent on one side of its body or a white triangle on its forehead, signifying its unique character and its acceptance by the gods. (27)

          公牛不是一种宠物，而是一种神圣的动物，在早期王朝时期（约公元前3150-2613年）代表普塔神。历史学家玛格丽特·邦森写道：

     圣牛阿庇斯是孟菲斯的Ptah-Sokar-Osiris崇拜的一个神像。帕勒姆罗石碑和其他记录对纪念这种动物的节日进行了描述。这些仪式通常被称为 "阿庇斯之行"。该动物也被称为Hapi。阿庇斯这个名字在希腊语中是指埃及的Hep 或 Hapi。阿庇斯圣牛被要求在其身体的一侧有一个白色的新月，或在其额头上有一个白色的三角形，表示其独特的性格和被众神接受。(27)

The Apis bull was so important that it was equated with the power of the king from the First Dynasty and probably earlier. The Narmer Palette shows a bull destroying a city as a symbol of the strength and virility of the king which is evidence that the bull as a symbol of might was already widely recognized prior to Narmer's reign of c. 3150 BCE. The Egyptologist Richard H. Wilkinson writes:

     Apis was the most important of the bull deities of Egypt and can be traced back to the beginning of the Dynastic Period. The origins of the god called by the Egyptians Hap are not entirely clear, but because his cult center was at Memphis he was assimilated into the worship of the great memphite god Ptah at an early date - first as the 'herald' or son of that god, and eventually as the living image or manifestation of the 'glorious soul' of Ptah himself. (170)

          阿庇斯公牛非常重要，从第一王朝开始，可能更早的时间，它就等同于国王的权力。纳尔梅尔调色板显示一头公牛摧毁了一座城市，象征着国王的力量和阳刚之气，这证明公牛作为力量的象征，在大约公元前3150年纳尔梅尔统治之前已经被广泛认可。埃及学家理查德德·H·威尔金森写道：

     阿庇斯是埃及最重要的牛神，可以追溯到王朝时期的开始。被埃及人称为Hap的神的起源并不完全清楚，但由于他的崇拜中心在孟菲斯，他很早就被同化到伟大的孟菲特神普塔的崇拜中——首先是作为该神的 "使者 "或儿子，最后是作为普塔本人 "光辉的灵魂 "的活体形象或表现形式。(170)

The Apis bull was so important it was worshipped as early as the the First Dynasty (especially noted under the reigns of Narmer and Den) and as late as the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323 - 30 BCE), the last to rule Egypt before it was taken as a province of Rome.

          阿庇斯公牛对古埃及人很重要，早在第一王朝（特别是在纳默尔和丹统治时期）和托勒密王朝（公元前323-30年）就被崇拜，托勒密王朝是埃及被罗马占领前的最后统治者。

宠 物 在 来 世 中 的 重 要 性

Whether they were exotic, deified, or domestic, pets played an important role in the lives of the ancient Egyptians. Scholar Bob Brier reports how, "in January 1906, Theodore Davis came upon a pit tomb that surprised him. The tomb lay at the bottom of a twelve-foot shaft cut into the bedrock" (cited in Nardo, 118). Brier reproduces the first-hand report of Davis:

     I went down the shaft and entered the chamber, which proved to be extremely hot and too low for comfort. I was startled by seeing very near me a yellow dog of ordinary size standing on his feet, his short tail curled over his back, and his eyes open. Within a few inches of his nose sat a monkey in quite perfect condition; for an instant I thought that they were alive, but I soon saw that they had been mummified, and that they had been unwrapped in ancient times by robbers. (Nardo, 118)

          无论它们是外来的、被神化的还是家养的，宠物在古埃及人的生活中都扮演着重要的角色。学者鲍伯·布瑞尔报告说，"1906年1月，西奥多·戴维斯发现了一个令他吃惊的坑墓。这座坟墓位于基岩上开凿的一个12英尺的竖井底部"（引自Nardo, 118）。布里尔转载了戴维斯的第一手报告：

     我下了井，进入密室，事实证明，密室非常热，而且太低，不舒服。我看到离我很近的地方有一只普通体型的黄狗，它站着，短尾巴卷在背上，眼睛睁着，这让我很吃惊。在他鼻子的几英寸范围内，坐着一只猴子，状态相当完美；一瞬间我以为他们是活的，但我很快看到他们已经被做成了木乃伊，在古代被盗墓贼拆开了。(Nardo, 118)

These animals were mummified pets but there were also animals mummified for food. Animals killed for food were usually fish or fowl and great care went into their preservation so that the deceased would have enough food in the afterlife. These mummies are not embalmed with the care that went into embalming a pet and are not wrapped with linens in the same way. Pet fish, for example, were very carefully tended while fish mummified for food were treated differently. Tombs throughout Egypt have been discovered containing mostly mummified pets.

           这些动物是被做成木乃伊的宠物，但也有被做成木乃伊的动物用于食用。被杀死的动物通常是鱼或家禽，为了使死者在来世有足够的食物，所以对它们的保存工作非常谨慎。这些木乃伊没有像防腐宠物那样精心防腐，也没有以同样的方式用亚麻布包裹。例如，宠物鱼得到了非常仔细的照料，而为食物而制作的鱼木乃伊则受到不同的对待。在埃及各地发现的墓葬中，大部分都有被做成木乃伊的宠物。

One of the early excavators of Egyptian tombs, Belzoni (1778 - 1823 CE) reported an enormous collection of mummified pets:

     I must not omit that among these tombs we saw some which contained the mummies of animals intermixed with human bodies. There were bulls, cows, sheep, monkeys, foxes, bats, crocodiles, fishes, and birds in them; idols often occur; and one tomb was filled with nothing but cats, carefully folded in red and white linen, the head covered with a mask representing the cat and made of the same linen. (Nardo, 119)

          早期的埃及墓葬发掘者之一贝尔佐尼（公元1778年-1823年）报告了大量的木乃伊宠物收藏：

     我必须指出，在这些坟墓中，我们看到有些坟墓里的动物木乃伊与人体混在一起。其中有公牛、牛、羊、猴子、狐狸、蝙蝠、鳄鱼、鱼和鸟；经常出现神像；有一个坟墓里只有猫，用红白相间的亚麻布小心翼翼地折叠着，头上戴着代表猫的面具，用同样的亚麻布制成。

The human experience was considered only one part of a person's eternal journey and, as such, the animals a person encountered in life were also to be expected in one's passage through death to eternity. There were dangerous animals in life, such as the crocodile and hippo, who would pose the same kind of dangers in the afterlife. There is one version of eternity which includes crocodiles which threaten and prevent one from reaching one's place in the Hall of Truth.

           人类的经历被认为只是一个人永恒旅程的一部分，因此，一个人在生活中遇到的动物也会在一个人通过死亡到达永恒的过程中被期待。生活中有些危险的动物，如鳄鱼和河马，它们在来世也会构成同样的危险。有一个版本的永生包括鳄鱼，它们威胁并阻止一个人到达真理殿堂的位置。

At the same time, those animals who had been one's trusted companions on earth could be counted upon to meet that person on the other side in the Field of Reeds. The ancient Egytians loved their pets just as people do in the present day. They recognized them as an integral part of their life on earth and understood that death was only a temporary separation and, one day, they would be reunited with their faithful friends again.

          同时，那些曾经是一个人在地球上值得信赖的伙伴的动物，可以指望它们在芦苇地的另一边与那个人相遇。古埃及人爱他们的宠物，就像今天的人们一样。他们认识到宠物是他们在地球上生活的一个组成部分，并理解死亡只是暂时的分离，有一天，他们将与忠实的朋友再次团聚。

参考书目:

Ancient Egypt Online: Sobek Accessed 1 Dec 2016.

Bunson, M. The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Gramercy Books, 1991.

Cats in the Ancient World by Joshua J. MarkAccessed 15 May 2020.

Dogs in the Ancient World by Joshua J. MarkAccessed 15 May 2020.

Gibson, C. The Hidden Life of Ancient Egypt. Saraband, 2009.

In Ancient Egypt, Life Wasn't Easy for Elite Pets by Traci Watson Accessed 1 Dec 2016.

Morris, D. Catlore. Crown, 1987.

Nardo, D. Living in Ancient Egypt. Thomson/Gale, 2004.

Pinch, G. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, 2004.

The Dogs of Ancient Egypt by Jimmy DunnAccessed 1 Dec 2016.

Wilkinson, R. H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2003.

原文作者：Joshua J. Mark

          Joshua J. Mark是自由撰稿人，曾是纽约马里斯特学院的兼职哲学教授，他曾在希腊和德国生活过，并游历过埃及。曾在大学阶段教授历史、写作、文学和哲学。

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