Egyptian Steatite Hyksos Scarab

$284.34

A large steatite Egyptian scarab with incised features such as the clypeus, prothorax and elytra marked by single lines. Decorated to the reverse, it has been incised with stylised geometric patterns and swirls. The amulet has been pierced longitudinally for suspension.

Date: Circa 1786 – 1650 BC
Period: Second Intermediate Period, Hyksos Period, Dynasty 15-17
Provenance: Ex private London based collection, AH, formerly in English family collections acquired from the 1920s - 1990s.
Condition: Very fine.

SOLD

SKU: AH-901 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 probably Canaanite, and one tends to find the names of rulers on their scarabs. 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 4.3 g
Dimensions L 2.2 cm
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