Egyptian Steatite Scarab Dedicated to Amun-Ra

£ 275.00

A steatite Egyptian scarab with incised features such as the clypeus, prothorax and elytra marked by single lines. The reverse is decorated with various hieroglyphs, dedicating this particular scarab to the god Amun-Ra. Within its centre you can see the feather 𓆄 hieroglyph to the far right, with the draughtboard sign𓏠 and the water ripple𓈖sign beneath it. These signs combine and transliterate as ‘a-mn-n’. Underneath is a sun disk to represent the god Ra. There is a large, arching lotus flower encasing the left side of Amun’s name and a basket ‘neb’ sign to the bottom.

The amulet is pierced longitudinally for suspension, however this is filled with encrustation.

 

Date: Circa 1550-1070 BC
Period: New Kingdom Period
Provenance: Ex major S.M., London, Collection 1970-2010.
Condition: Very fine. Some encrustation to the suspension hole.

SOLD

SKU: AH-1026 Category: Tags: , ,

The Egyptian god, Amun-Ra, was a highly important deity in the Egyptian pantheon. Originally, he was worshipped as two gods, the creator of the universe, Amun, and the sun-god, Ra. He gains national importance after the defeat of the Hyksos at Thebes in the 16th century and it is from this date we see a combination of the two gods. As his position grew, Amun-Ra’s worship was almost monotheistic in nature, with the other gods considered manifestations of him. So great was his influence that he was identified with the Greek god Zeus from the Ptolemaic period, to form Zeus Ammon. Alexander the Great claimed divine descent as the son of Amun. Scarabs such as this, asking for protection from a specific god were popular in the late New Kingdom Period and Third Intermediate Period.

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

Weight 1.52 g
Dimensions L 1.4 cm
Culture

Egyptian Mythology

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Region

Stone

Reference: For similar: The British Museum, London, item EA3573

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