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Source Description
This light beige steatite scarab was originally glazed blue or green. The piece is inscribed on the flat underside with an image of a captive Libyan and a short column of hieroglyphics. The top of the piece is high with a detailed incised design. The workmanship is good and the piece is carefully made. This scarab functioned as a protective amulet and had royal connotations. It was originally mounted or threaded. The bottom motif refers to the royal control over all foreign countries and should ward off all dangers for its owner. It is imaginable that soldiers on an expedition or at the frontier used such amulets. The image of a fettered captive is a popular motif on scarabs, however, the figure of a captive is usually subordinate to the figure of a king. In this case, there is no representation of the king, only the short inscription, which refers to him. It is possible that such an amulet should provide magical protection for Egyptians traveling abroad or for Egyptian allies. The very round base and the style of the carvings are typical for the early 18th Dynasty.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
5639
label
Scarab with Bound Captive
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
6
Source metadata
id
5639
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Scarab with Bound Captive
description
This light beige steatite scarab was originally glazed blue or green. The piece is inscribed on the flat underside with an image of a captive Libyan and a short column of hieroglyphics. The top of the piece is high with a detailed incised design. The workmanship is good and the piece is carefully made. This scarab functioned as a protective amulet and had royal connotations. It was originally mounted or threaded. The bottom motif refers to the royal control over all foreign countries and should ward off all dangers for its owner. It is imaginable that soldiers on an expedition or at the frontier used such amulets. The image of a fettered captive is a popular motif on scarabs, however, the figure of a captive is usually subordinate to the figure of a king. In this case, there is no representation of the king, only the short inscription, which refers to him. It is possible that such an amulet should provide magical protection for Egyptians traveling abroad or for Egyptian allies. The very round base and the style of the carvings are typical for the early 18th Dynasty.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911 (?) [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1550 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
0.7
height
1.2
depth
1.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 1/4 x W: 1/2 x L: 9/16 in. (0.7 x 1.2 x 1.5 cm)
Source extras
cul
Egyptian
inscriptions
[Translation] The sign order has been changed for aesthetic reasons
but the content is obvious. The figure of the captive has not only an iconic function
but it is also a determinative for the term ""foreign lands."": Lord of all foreign lands.
dynasty
18th Dynasty
med
light beige steatite; glaze, originally blue or green (?)
creator_ids
6182
collection_ids
EGY
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
a2c7425f6bce5bdc
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
45d39e2e67ab1e72
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
f0a5ccb2b948a664
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
9a5b58a137d9194d
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
636369e6f25f5e33
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
e9659ff35c10f1c4
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no