Scarab of Hatnefer

Scarab of Hatnefer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This finely carved scarab was worn as a bracelet. It would have been fastened with a double loop of linen cord that ran lengthwise through amulet between the legs and body of the beetle. The scarab and cord were found pressed against Hatnefer's left forearm. The base of the scarab is incised with with the pattern of an elaborately coiled cobra and two "nefer" hieroglyphs (meaning "good" or "beautiful"). Two rings and a second scarab were also found on Hatnefer's mummy.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.