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.
Egyptian Steatite Scarab with Hieroglyphs
£ 200.00
An Ancient Egyptian steatite scarab featuring a hieroglyphic inscription. The anatomy of the scarab is depicted on the obverse, with the head, eyes, and clypeus rendered delicately. Linear incisions portray the prothorax and wing cases. The sides of the scarabs are detailed with parallel encircling grooves. The base of the scarab features three predominant hieroglyphs. The symbol in the left register is hard to read from erosion, but possibly includes the sun glyph ‘Re’ (𓇳). The falcon symbol, possibly holding a flagellum (𓅄), dominates the centre, a symbol associated with Horus. The right register features and ‘ankh’ (𓋹) which is associated with life. The symbols on scarabs such as this might not be intended to form a meaningful phrase, but rather, were apotropaic and chosen for their associations with good fortune. The scarab is pierced longitudinally for suspension. Some wear consistent with age and earthy encrustations are visible.
Period: New Kingdom
Provenance: Ex-AH collection of scarabs, London, 1980’s-2000’s
Condition: Good. some wear and erosion consistent with age
In stock
| Weight | 1.03 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | L 1.1 x W 0.9 x H 0.7 cm |
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