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Source Description

This steatite scarab is glazed and inscribed on the bottom with the "two royal aspects" title and "Tjetet," possibly a royal name. The top has a medium high back and deeply incised details with almost regular line flow and good workmanship. The piece is simply made. The "two royal aspects" title does not contain a known royal name. Either one can interpret the "Tjetet" as a miswriting, or as an offering table which can lead to a reading of "Belonging to the offering table of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt." This interpretation is most likely, yet one should not neglect the possibility that "Tjetet" is the name of an unknown king. This scarab functioned as an amulet with kingship connotations, and was originally mounted or threaded. It is possible that the amulet should assure the participation in the royal rituals, especially in the food supply, and should also guarantee the supply for its private owner. The undercutting of the legs, the clear partition of the plates by deep incised lines, and the single partition lines on the back are known for scarabs of the Third Intermediate Period.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
21999
label
Scarab with Royal Title and Name of Tjetet (?)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
6
Source metadata
id
21999
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Scarab with Royal Title and Name of Tjetet (?)
description
This steatite scarab is glazed and inscribed on the bottom with the "two royal aspects" title and "Tjetet," possibly a royal name. The top has a medium high back and deeply incised details with almost regular line flow and good workmanship. The piece is simply made. The "two royal aspects" title does not contain a known royal name. Either one can interpret the "Tjetet" as a miswriting, or as an offering table which can lead to a reading of "Belonging to the offering table of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt." This interpretation is most likely, yet one should not neglect the possibility that "Tjetet" is the name of an unknown king. This scarab functioned as an amulet with kingship connotations, and was originally mounted or threaded. It is possible that the amulet should assure the participation in the royal rituals, especially in the food supply, and should also guarantee the supply for its private owner. The undercutting of the legs, the clear partition of the plates by deep incised lines, and the single partition lines on the back are known for scarabs of the Third Intermediate Period.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1929 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
746-525 BCE (Late Third Intermediate-early Late Period)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Precious Stones & Gems
scarabs
amulets
imageCount
6
pageCount
6
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
0.6
height
1
depth
1.4
dimensionsRaw
H: 1/4 x W: 3/8 x L: 9/16 in. (0.6 x 1 x 1.4 cm)
Source extras
cul
Egyptian
inscriptions
[Translation] The term tt.t following the state ruler title does not contain a known royal name: King of Upper- and Lower Egypt Tjetet (?)
dynasty
25th-26th Dynasty
med
light beige steatite with green-blue glaze
creator_ids
6182
collection_ids
EGY
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
3aa600418e630acd
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
91da7c45fd537fd3
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
cf893f58f51a371b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
518ead4ebd7daf14
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
ef072eed4362bf68
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
ece7c74623e0481e
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no