Scarab with Inscription Referring to Osiris

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This scarab from Lisht is inscribed with a variation on a religious epithet that is commonly associated with deities, such as the falcon god Horus, or with the king, as living manifestation of Horus. The inscription in hieroglyphs mentions him guarding the throne of his father, the god Osiris. Given the limited surface on scarab bases, seal carvers were often very creative in using as few hieroglyphs and signs as possible in order to convey their message. The god Osiris is here alluded to by the sign of a royal cartouche that does not contain hieroglyphs that would normally encircle the name of a king. An empty cartouche can represent the name Wenennefer (meaning: he who is in everlastingly good condition), which most commonly invokes Osiris. This amulet thus calls upon protection by Osiris’ son. Scarabs bearing similar inscriptions date to the Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1295–664 B.C.).

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art