Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing Related to Re

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

During the late Middle Kingdom (late Dynasty 12–13, ca. 1850–1640 B.C.), numerous scarabs were incised with inscriptions related to the sun god Re. These scarabs are often quite small. The precise meaning of the inscriptions remains unclear: they can be interpreted as forming the name Re, or as a phrase or wish meaning (may) Re give. Such inscriptions summon the sun god’s protection. These so-called ‘rdi ra’ scarabs continue to be manufactured during the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1640–1550 B.C.), but show different details on the back and sides.

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