Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 6 pages
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The ancient Egyptians believed that the dung beetle, the Scarabaeus sacer, was one of the manifestations of the sun god. Representations of these beetles were used as amulets, and for ritual or administrative purposes. This scarab has a flat bottom with a special design that combines of images and hieroglyphs. The layout of the deeply incised design is unusually organized, the hieroglyphs face in different directions, and some collides with the borderline. The dominant icons are: a hawk with his outstretched wings, and a left rotated pool with the flowers. An oval line frames the arrangement. It may be possible to interpret the sign combination as cryptographic writing of the royal name Amenhotep. The highest point of the back of the scarab is the double partition line between pronotum (dorsal plate of the protorax) and elytron (wing cases). Both parts have incised borderlines, and a double division line separates the wing cases; the line flow is slightly irregular. The semi-oval head is flanked by triangular eyes; the triangular side plates have outer borderlines, and the clypeus (front plate) is marked. The head section is very short, and the head itself small in comparison to the clypeus. The extremities have natural form and diagonal hatch lines for tibial teeth and pilosity (hair). The oval base is asymmetrical shaped having slightly smaller head part. The scarab is longitudinally pierced, was originally mounted or threaded, and used as an amulet. The design should secure the close relation of this king to Amun, and provide a private owner with royal patronage of the current king. The are several arguments for dating the scarab in the reign of Amenhotep I and not in a later period: The figure of the hawk with wide outstretched wings, which is popular during the early Thutmoside Period, the round-oval shape of the base, as well as the clear and simple back design.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
40707
label
Scarab with Bird and Papyrus
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
6
Source metadata
id
40707
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Scarab with Bird and Papyrus
description
The ancient Egyptians believed that the dung beetle, the Scarabaeus sacer, was one of the manifestations of the sun god. Representations of these beetles were used as amulets, and for ritual or administrative purposes. This scarab has a flat bottom with a special design that combines of images and hieroglyphs. The layout of the deeply incised design is unusually organized, the hieroglyphs face in different directions, and some collides with the borderline. The dominant icons are: a hawk with his outstretched wings, and a left rotated pool with the flowers. An oval line frames the arrangement. It may be possible to interpret the sign combination as cryptographic writing of the royal name Amenhotep. The highest point of the back of the scarab is the double partition line between pronotum (dorsal plate of the protorax) and elytron (wing cases). Both parts have incised borderlines, and a double division line separates the wing cases; the line flow is slightly irregular. The semi-oval head is flanked by triangular eyes; the triangular side plates have outer borderlines, and the clypeus (front plate) is marked. The head section is very short, and the head itself small in comparison to the clypeus. The extremities have natural form and diagonal hatch lines for tibial teeth and pilosity (hair). The oval base is asymmetrical shaped having slightly smaller head part. The scarab is longitudinally pierced, was originally mounted or threaded, and used as an amulet. The design should secure the close relation of this king to Amun, and provide a private owner with royal patronage of the current king. The are several arguments for dating the scarab in the reign of Amenhotep I and not in a later period: The figure of the hawk with wide outstretched wings, which is popular during the early Thutmoside Period, the round-oval shape of the base, as well as the clear and simple back design.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1525-1504 BCE (New Kingdom, Dynasty 18)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Precious Stones & Gems
scarabs
amulets
imageCount
6
pageCount
6
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
0.8
height
1.3
depth
1.7
dimensionsRaw
H: 5/16 x W: 1/2 x L: 11/16 in. (0.8 x 1.3 x 1.7 cm)
Source extras
cul
Egyptian
inscriptions
[Translation] Amen-hetep (?)
dynasty
18th Dynasty
reign
Amenophis I (1525-1504 BC)
med
beige steatite with blue-green glaze
creator_ids
6182
collection_ids
EGY
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
78e54987cf123419
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
16b126d10d5cc93c
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
9de38f5301f365ae
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
406bc55d96a7951b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
284f3398a8073512
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
ad4bbf632e447259
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no