Object Description
An ancient Egyptian, steatite scarab with incised hieroglyphs to the reverse. The moulded obverse features a moulded head and clypeus and a plain body. Slight indentations at the sides indicate the humeral callosities. The sides of the scarab are decorated with linear incisions and short hatched lines, known as feathering, to represent its legs. The reverse features various inscribed hieroglyphs, arranged in three vertical columns, with the signs on either side mirroring each other. To either side we can see some familiar signs, including a larger uraeus and the red deshret crown of Lower Egypt. Within the centre column are signs that form a variation of the ‘an-ra’ formula. To the top is the oval ‘mouth’ hieroglyph, translated as ‘r’. The ripple of water, seen here as a long hatched line, translates as ‘n’. Other additional hieroglyphs have also been added to complete the column, including the familiar ‘htp’ sign, which translates as satisfied’. The scarab has been pierced longitudinally for suspension.
Date: Circa 1750 – 1550 BC
Period: Second Intermediate Period