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 desert 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.
Sekhaenre is the nomen given to a pharaoh, from the Second Intermediate Period, most likely from the 14th Dynasty. He is also given the prenomen Yakbim but the two names do not appear together. They are generally believed to belong to one king, based on the similarities of the scarabs. The name Sekhaenre does not appear within a cartouche but is preceded by the epithet, ‘perfect god’. The second highest number of scarabs and seals belonging to a Second Intermediate king belong to Sekhaenre, at around 123, just behind the 300 plus belonging to the pharaoh Sheshi.
To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings.
