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Source Description
This jasper scarab has a flat underside with a design in sunk relief combining royal and divine images with a ruler, lotus plants, and a moon crescent. The design of the back is very detailed with irregular line flow and well-organized layout. The piece is carefully made and the workmanship is good.This piece functioned as an amulet with ruler (?) connotations and was originally mounted or threaded. The amulet should secure the authority of the ruler, as well as divine protection and renewal.Although the bottom design of the scarab has Egyptian elements, the main iconography as well as the style of the scarab body are Neo-Babylonian or Achaemenid. The scene is a variation of the worshipper-with-altar-motif. If the "Was"-scepter maintained its Egyptian meaning, the depicted person must represent a king of deity.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
9033
label
Scarab with a Standing Ruler
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
9033
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Scarab with a Standing Ruler
description
This jasper scarab has a flat underside with a design in sunk relief combining royal and divine images with a ruler, lotus plants, and a moon crescent. The design of the back is very detailed with irregular line flow and well-organized layout. The piece is carefully made and the workmanship is good.This piece functioned as an amulet with ruler (?) connotations and was originally mounted or threaded. The amulet should secure the authority of the ruler, as well as divine protection and renewal.Although the bottom design of the scarab has Egyptian elements, the main iconography as well as the style of the scarab body are Neo-Babylonian or Achaemenid. The scene is a variation of the worshipper-with-altar-motif. If the "Was"-scepter maintained its Egyptian meaning, the depicted person must represent a king of deity.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 7th-5th century BCE (Neo-Babylonian (?), Achaemenid (?))
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Precious Stones & Gems
scarabs
amulets
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
0.8
height
1.2
depth
1.6
dimensionsRaw
H: 5/16 x W: 1/2 x L: 5/8 in. (0.8 x 1.2 x 1.6 cm)
Source extras
cul
Neo-Babylonian or Achaemenid
med
green jasper
creator_ids
3930
2594
6353
collection_ids
ANE
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
f6e6cbfa40d25f77
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
c5166068f8594612
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
763ddaf826283027
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no