Scarab with kneeling Nile god before obelisk

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The underside of the scarab shows the Nile god Hapy, identified by his headdress of papyrus stalks. He is the personification of the annual inundation and therefore also one of the ancient Egyptian fertility gods. He sits on his knees, offering a hes-vase, the hieroglyph of praise, while he faces an obelisk. The obelisk is one of the symbols of the sun god and can thus stand for Amun. Within the monument, however, one can also discern small hieroglyphs forming the throne name of pharaoh Thutmose III, Menkheperre (Dynasty 18, ca. 1479-1425 B.C.). He was venerated after his death and the name of this great ruler continues to appear on stamp seals long after his reign, even into the Late Period (ca. 664-525 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