Egyptian scarab, Late Dynastic Period, 747-332 BC
Obsidian
Length 2.3cm
7856
£ 475.00
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Further images
Of a naturalistic but simple form, folded legs carved on the underside. Undrilled, a few small chips to the body. A scarab was an amulet in the form of a...
Of a naturalistic but simple form, folded legs carved on the underside. Undrilled, a few small chips to the body.
A scarab was an amulet in the form of a dung beetle which held a special significance for the ancient Egyptians. As part of their life cycle the beetles will roll balls of dung along the ground and into a hole. After a while eggs, laid by the female inside the ball, hatch and the young beetles emerge from beneath the earth. For the ancient Egyptians this process simulated the movement of the sun across the sky before it set below the horizon, whilst the emergence of the new born insects indicated rebirth, both key religious concepts. Their word for Scarab was 'Kheper' meaning 'to come into existence', and this creature became the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, with a human body and the head of a the beetle, who was believed to bring the sun from the underworld and move it through the sky. One of the most popular amulets in Egypt, scarabs were produced for over 2000 years, from the end of the Old Kingdom, to the Ptolemaic period.
A scarab was an amulet in the form of a dung beetle which held a special significance for the ancient Egyptians. As part of their life cycle the beetles will roll balls of dung along the ground and into a hole. After a while eggs, laid by the female inside the ball, hatch and the young beetles emerge from beneath the earth. For the ancient Egyptians this process simulated the movement of the sun across the sky before it set below the horizon, whilst the emergence of the new born insects indicated rebirth, both key religious concepts. Their word for Scarab was 'Kheper' meaning 'to come into existence', and this creature became the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, with a human body and the head of a the beetle, who was believed to bring the sun from the underworld and move it through the sky. One of the most popular amulets in Egypt, scarabs were produced for over 2000 years, from the end of the Old Kingdom, to the Ptolemaic period.
