ANCIENT EGYPTION SCARAB , ANCIENT EGYPT MIDDLE KINGDOM 450B.C.

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ANCIENT EGYPTION SCARAB , ANCIENT EGYPT MIDDLE KINGDOM 450B.C. :
$31.00

Scarabs

were the popular amulets in Ancient Egypt. They survivein large numbers and, through their inscriptions and typology, they are animportant source of information for archeologists and historians of the ancientworld. They also represent a significant body of ancient art.

For reasons that are not clear (although no doubtconnected to the religious significance of the Egyptian god Khepri, amulets inthe form of scarab beetles had become enormously popular in Ancient Egypt bythe early Middle kingdom (approx. 2000 BCE) and remained popular for the restof the pharaonic period and beyond. During that long period the function ofscarabs repeatedly changed. Primarily amulets, they were also inscribed for useas personal or administrative seals or were incorporated into jewelry. Somescarabs were apparently created for political or diplomatic purposes tocommemorate or advertise royal achievements. By the early New kingdom heartscarabs had become part of the battery of amulets protecting mummies.

From the middle Bronze Age, other ancient peoples of the Mediterraneanand the Middle East imported scarabs from Egypt and also produced scarabs inEgyptian or local styles, especially in the Levant.

Scarabs were produced in vast numbers for many centuriesand many thousands have survived. They were generally intended to be worn orcarried by the living. They were typically carved or moulded in the form of ascarab beetle (usually identified as Scarabaeus saucer) with varying degrees ofnaturalism but usually at least indicating the head, wing case and legs butwith a flat base. The base was usually inscribed with designs and/orHieroglyphs to form an impression seal. Scarabs were usually drilled from endto end to allow them to be strung on a thread or incorporated into a swivelring. The most common range of sizes for scarabs is from 6mm to 4 cm (length)and most are probably between 1 cm and 2 cm long. Larger scarabs were made fromtime to time for particular purposes. Heart scarabs (typically 5 cm to 9cm long, made of dark hardstone and not pierced for suspension) were made for aspecific funerary purpose and should be considered separately.

Scarabs were generally either carved from stone ormoulded from Egyptian faience. Once carved, they would typically be glazed blueor green and then fired. The most common stone used for scarabs was a form ofsteatite, a soft stone which becomes hard when fired (forming enstatite).Hardstone scarabs were also made and the stones most commonly used were green jasper,amethyst and carnelian.

While the majority of scarabs would originally have beengreen or blue the colored glazes used have often either become discolored orhave been lost, leaving most steatite scarabs appearing white or brown. Ascarab was often very light colors.