Ancient Egyptian Scarab - New Kingdom Period - Date: Circa 1550-1070 BCE
$975
Mint: New Kingdom Period - Egypt
Size: 16mm
Mount: 18K gold
Date: Circa 1550-1070 BCE
Description: 16 mm Scarab with Piercing for suspension. Partially glazed back with fine detailing. (n'b ma' At) "Lord of truth". Steatite Scarab, showing hieroglyphs on bottom.
History: Scarabs were popular amulets in ancients Egypt. According to ancient Egyptian myths, the sun rolls across the sky each day and transforms bodies and souls. Modeled upon the Scarabaeidae family dung beetle, which rolls dung into a ball for the purpose of eating and laying eggs that are later transformed into larva. The scarab was seen as an earthly symbol of this heavenly cycle. This came to be iconographic, and ideological symbols were incorported into ancient Egyptian society. Beginning in the old Kingdom and ancient Egypt, memorializing scarabs became common. They were also often incorporated into tombs as grave goods.
To the ancient Egyptians, the scarab of dung beetle was a protector of written products. The scarab was also used as a holder or medium for personal names seals. A figurine of a scarab would be carved out of stone, and then the smooth stomach of the scarab, the engraving of a seal was made. Later, this oval image was used for the representation of the cartouche, or name/title seals. Miniature scarab seals were carried, or kept in the later periods of Ancient Egypt. The often has "catch phrases"; for example: "A mun-my-strentgh". (A mun-my-Rock).
