Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs

Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This late Middle Kingdom scarab is incised with three hieroglyphs: the wedjat-eye, symbol for health and well-being, the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, symbolizing royal authority, and the hieroglyph for good and beautiful (nfr). These signs are not meant to form words but are chosen for their positive, protective meaning. The details on the scarab's back and sides indicate that it dates to mid to late Dynasty 13 (ca. 1750 –1640 B.C.) and that it may have been carved at a workshop in present-day Tell el-Dab'a (ancient Avaris).

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Scarab Inscribed with HieroglyphsScarab Inscribed with HieroglyphsScarab Inscribed with HieroglyphsScarab Inscribed with HieroglyphsScarab Inscribed 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.