Scarab with Quadruped

New Kingdom – Third Intermediate Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109

The underside of this scarab shows a quadruped marching to the right, with a solar symbol above its back. While the animal’s features are not clear enough to identify it with certainty, the long upward curled tail and prominent ears make it most likely to be a lion. This interpretation is supported by the fact that, in ancient Egypt, lions and leonine deities were often associated with the power of the sun (the god Re), who is here referred to in the sun disk placed at the top.

Scarab with Quadruped, Green glazed steatite

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