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Egyptian Antiquities :
Egyptian Scarabs : New Kingdom Steatite Scarab
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New Kingdom Steatite Scarab - S.013
Origin: Egypt
Circa: 1650
BC
to 1085
BC
Catalogue: V1
Collection: Egyptian
Medium: Steatite
Additional Information: Found in Heliopolis, Egypt
$3,600.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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The sacred beetle of ancient Egypt, the scarab is
an emblem of the creator, Khepera. The word
kepher denotes Being, Existence, Creation, or
Becoming, and the god Kephera is the self-
existent maker of all things. The worship of the
scarab, which is symbolic of resurrection and
fertility, dates from the earliest period of
civilization in Egypt. Carved scarabs served two
major functions: as amulets with protective and
religious powers, and as personal seals, which
designated the property and authority of the
individual whose name was placed upon them. In
both cases, the power ascribed to the scarab was
very great—in life they served as the signature of
their owner and were thought to bring
prosperity, and in the afterlife they ensured
rebirth through eternity.
Inscribed with a design depicting a winged
scarab above a cartouche. This means that the
king whose name is inscribed in the cartouche is
the son of Re, the sun god, and rises to new life.
The king’s eternal life renews itself every day like
Khepera, the dawning aspect of the sun god,
depicted as a beetle. The symbols within the
cartouche are somewhat difficult to read, but
they appear to form a phrase which means “child
of the god."
- (S.013)
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