Natural Scarab

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period, Dynasty 26

Date664-525 BCE

MediumFaience

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions1 3/16 x 1 x 9/16 in., 7.4 g (3.1 x 2.5 x 1.5 cm, 1/4 oz.)

Object number2018.010.1031

Label TextIn ancient Egypt, amulets of animals, deities, and symbols were placed on the mummy or inserted in the mummy bandages to aid and protect the deceased. Certain funerary amulets were associated with parts of the mummified body. The Isis knot, when placed on the throat, protected the body (from left to right). Multiple heart amulets were laid on the upper body. The Djed-pillar amulet stabilized the throat and lower torso. Scarabs promised resurrection and were placed on the throat, chest, and stomach. The “Two-Fingers” amulet, which represents Osiris’s index and middle fingers, was positioned over the evisceration incision on the body. Amulets depicting the god of air Shu and the deity Wepwawet, “the Opener of the Ways,” were positioned on the lower body. Amulets of female sphinxes and lion-headed goddesses brought the protective power and ferocity of big cats.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 95.

ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California.

Status

Not on view

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