Delicate Scarab Amulet of Seti II
$560.55
A finely detailed scarab amulet featuring an incised reverse, decorated with hieroglyphs. The scarab bears the symbols for the Pharaoh Seti II and includes his Throne name, or prenomen, the first royal name written in a cartouche. The symbols include a scarab beetle, the head of a dog and sun symbols.
Transliterated as they are written, they would read:
wsr-ḫprw-rꜤ stp-n-rꜤ
Adding in the vowels:
Kheper-wser-re re-setep-en
Translating as:
Powerful are the Manifestations of Re, The Choice of Re
Date: 1203 - 1197 BC, 19th Dynasty
Period: New Kingdom
Provenance: Gustave Mustaki was an avid collector in the early 20th century, with his collection coming to the UK under Egyptian licence in 1947. Many of his pieces are in major museums worldwide, including the British Museum, the Getty Museum, and the Egyptian State Museum. We have purchased over 1700 scarabs from this collection, and this item has been catalogued by Carol Andrews (formerly Egyptian Department in the British Museum).
Condition: Excellent
SOLD
The prenomen of Seti II is Userkhepere Setepenre, the placement of the hieroglyphs on the scarab may appear to be in the incorrect order. Emphasis however, within the prenomen, is given to more important hieroglyphs.
Seti II ruled from c. 1203 BC to 1197 BC and was the fifth pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty and the grandson of the great Pharaoh, Rameses II. His was a short reign in a period known for political instability. Seti II, unusually changed his prenomen in the latter part of his reign, choosing Userkheperure Meryamun, which translated as ‘Powerful are the Manifestations of Re, Beloved of Amun’.
