Scarab Inscribed with the Name Ptah

New Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130

The name of Ptah – the god of craftsmen, the arts, and creation – is engraved in the center of the scarab’s base, followed by hieroglyphs forming one of his divine epithets, Lord of Heaven. On either side are large ostrich feathers, the symbols of Maat, the goddess of truth and order, possibly referring to another epithet of Ptah, Lord of Truth.

The name of Ptah is highly popular on scarabs of the Ramesside period (Dynasties 19-20, ca. 1295-1070 B.C.), as are representations of the god in his anthropomorphic form.

Scarab Inscribed with the Name Ptah, Steatite

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Scarab Inscribed with the Name Ptah, Steatite
Scarab Inscribed with the Name Ptah, Steatite
Scarab Inscribed with the Name Ptah, Steatite
Scarab Inscribed with the Name Ptah, Steatite

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