The scarab beetle was an exceedingly popular symbol in the art of Ancient Egypt, thought to represent the sun god, Ra. 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. Scarabs hence served amuletic functions and were placed in tombs or worn as jewellery throughout Egypt and the Middle East, and were additionally inscribed with hieroglyphics upon their reverse.
Scarabs, such as this piece, designed with symmetric compositions of hieroglyphs and scrolls were exceedingly popular in the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period. Scroll imagery did not have a specific meaning but was often paired with other important symbols, usually with their own apotropaic values.
To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings.
