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Egyptian Antiquities :
Egyptian Scarab Rings : Egyptian Scarab in a Gold Ring
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Egyptian Scarab in a Gold Ring - FJ.5115
Origin: Israel
Circa: 1600
BC
to 1100
BC
Collection: Jewelry
Medium: Steatite-Gold
Additional Information: SOLD
$2,800.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
The scarab beetle of ancient Egypt is an emblem
of the creator Kheper. The word “Kheper”
denotes being, existence, creation or becoming
and the god Khepera is the self-existent maker
of all things. By far the most important amulet in
ancient Egypt was the scarab, symbolically as
sacred to the Egyptians as the cross is to
Christians. Based upon the dung beetle, this
sacred creature forms a ball of dung around its
semen and rolls it in a large ball over the sand
dropping it into its burrow. The female lays her
eggs on the ground and covers them with the
excrement ball that is consumed by the larvae
that emerge in the following days as if
miraculously reborn. In the life cycle of the
beetle, the Ancient Egyptians envisioned a
microcosm of the daily rebirth of the sun. They
imagined the ancient sun god Khepri was a great
scarab beetle rolling the sun across the heavens.
The scarab also became a symbol of the
enduring human soul as well, hence its frequent
appearance in funerary art.
The depiction of a man, probably a king,
kneeling before an erect cobra covers the under
side of this ancient scarab. The king wears a
short wig and a knee length pleated kilt, while
the cobra's hood is decorated with incised lines.
The cobra, or uraeus, represents uto, the
protective goddess of Lower Egypt. Portrayed in
an angry posture, this female cobra would sit
poised on the brow of the pharaoh's headdress,
protecting him against his enemies. Should an
adversary get close, venomous poison would
spew from her mouth. Powerful imagery on this
scarab evidences exciting elements of ancient
Egyptian dynastic culture. It is truly a civilization
whose magic spell reaches across the millennia,
captivating us with all its complexities.
- (FJ.5115)
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