Scarab with Hieroglyphs

Scarab with Hieroglyphs

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Symmetric compositions of hieroglyphs creating a positive meaning are very popular on scarab amulets during the Middle Kingdom. This scarab shows the sign for endurance (djed) between signs of life (ankh) and a royal symbol, the bee. These hieroglyphs convey benevolent concepts, aimed at providing the owner of the amulet with protection and support. The manner in which the details of the back and sides of the scarab are incised, allows dating the scarab to the late Middle Kingdom (late Dynasty 12–Dynasty 13, ca. 1850–1640 B.C.).

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scarab with HieroglyphsScarab with HieroglyphsScarab with HieroglyphsScarab with HieroglyphsScarab with Hieroglyphs

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.