Ancient Egyptian Hardstone Hyksos Scarab

$1,232.12

An Egyptian black hard stone scarab with slight incised detailing to form a ridged carapace and naturalistic features. The underside has been incised with hieroglyphs, including the uraeus sign and feather of Ma’at, however they do not have a significant meaning to their arrangement, which was typical of the Hyksos period. The amulet has been pierced longitudinally for suspension.

Date: Circa 1786 – 1650 BC
Period: Second Intermediate Period, Hyksos Period, Dynasty 15-17
Condition: Very fine.

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SKU: AH-771 Category: Tags: , ,

The scarab beetle was an exceedingly popular symbol in the art of Ancient Egypt, thought to represent the sun god, Ra. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the scarab beetle rolling its ball of dung across the dessert mirrored the journey of the sun across the sky from day to night. As the beetle laid its eggs within the dung, it became a symbol of rebirth and regeneration.

The term ‘Hyksos’ can be traced back to the Egyptian expression ‘heka khasewet’, which means, “rulers of foreign lands”. The Hyksos of the fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt, ruling during the Second Intermediate Period, were thus of non-Egyptian origin. They were most likely of Canaanite descent. One tends to find the names of rulers on their scarabs, as well as geometric patterning and an assortment of hieroglyphs with no definitive meaning. The Hyksos Kingdom was centred in the eastern Nile Delta and Middle Egypt. It was limited in size, never extending south into Upper Egypt, and it had Memphis as its capital.

To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings.

Weight 8.5 g
Dimensions L 2.6 x W 1.8 cm
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