Egyptian Turquoise Glazed Steatite Scarab dedicated to Amun-Ra

$372.79

A delicate Egyptian steatite scarab amulet, glazed a vivid turquoise colour and incised to the front with single lines to depict the clypeus, prothorax and elytra. The reverse features a series of inscribed hieroglyphs which form the name of the god Amun-Re. The largest sign is the feather 𓆄, followed by the draughtboard sign𓏠,and the water ripple𓈖sign. These signs combine and transliterate as ‘a-mn-n’. Underneath are two crude signs, most likely circles to represent the god Ra. The amulet is pierced longitudinally for suspension.

Date: Circa 1295-664 BC
Period: New Kingdom Period - Third Intermediate Period
Provenance: Ex private London based collection, AH, formerly in English family collections acquired from the 1920s - 1990s.
Condition: Excellent.

SOLD

SKU: AH-896 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 g
Dimensions L 1.5 cm
Culture

Egyptian Mythology

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Region

Stone

Reference: For Similar: The Metropolitan Museum, New York, item 27.3.344