The Hyksos period, during the late Middle Kingdom, was a period of foreign rule by a succession of Asiatic chieftains, hailing from the Levant. Craftsmen followed on the tradition of using scarabs as protection amulets however their style and motifs were different. A scarab such as this, typical of the Hyksos style, features characteristic ‘Egyptian’ hieroglyphs formulated into a symmetrical pattern. The Hyksos recognised the apotropaic values of the scarab and one such as this, with the ankh and ka signs, would have been exceedingly popular. The Ka signs, in particular, are stylistically identifiable as Hyksos-period.
To find out more about Ancient Egyptian amulets please see our relevant blog post: Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings.