Description

In the middle this scarab is inscribed with the royal name of Amenhotep III (Neb Maat Ra). On the right is an uniquely written text, namely wsr nfr-tm, which translates as 'Nefertem is powerful'. It is the headdress of Nefertem we see next to jackal-head staff. Below it nb tA.wy is written, 'Lord of the Two Lands'. To the left of the cartouche is mn(w) ra, 'Ra remains'. Below that is the abbreviated expression for sgrHw, tA.wy, 'he who brings peace to the Two Lands'. The participle sgrHw is written very abbreviated by only showing the arm D41.

Scarabs were worn as jewelry, carried as talismans, and placed in tombs. They were believed to protect the living from harm and guide the dead safely into the afterlife. Many scarabs were inscribed with names of pharaohs, prayers, or protective spells. Officials used them as personal seals pressed into clay or wax. Some had purely decorative or symbolic inscriptions, while others carried political or diplomatic messages. They were made from a wide range of substances:  steatite (soapstone), faience (glazed ceramic), carnelian, lapis lazuli, and even precious metals.

Translation available by Dutch Egyptologist Huub Pragt.

Comparable scarabs:

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/550326

www.imj.org.il/en/collections/598398-0 

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551411

Culture

Egyptian

Dating

18th dynasty, New Kingdom, 1390–1292 BC

Size

1,8 cm

Provenance

Dutch private collection, bought via Bonhams Auctions in London. 

Bodo Bless (1940-2022) collection, Berlin, formed from 1960s.

Condition

Excellent condition