Scarab with Red Crown Design

Scarab with Red Crown Design

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Early Dynasty 18 scarabs (ca. 1550–1480 B.C.) show a strong resemblance to early Middle Kingdom scarabs (late Dynasty 11–early Dynasty 12, ca. 2030–1850 B.C.) in regards to the shape and details of their backs and sides. This can also be observed in the decorations on the underside. While some compositions show the introduction of new elements, such as the name of the god Amun, many designs are reminiscent of the Middle Kingdom. This ‘archaism’ can be explained by the fact that, after the end of the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1550 B.C.), Dynasty 18 rulers reestablished Thebes as Egypt’s capital, as it had been at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. This scarab shows two merged L-shaped motifs with a spiral, which are often interpreted as stylized versions of the Red Crown of Lower Egypt

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.