Scarab Finger Ring with the Names of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut

New Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 118

This ring is inscribed on the underside of the scarab with the names of the joint rulers Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. Its bezel is mounted on a swivel, allowing the scarab to be flipped and be used as a seal. Its underside could be impressed onto mud sealings that sealed documents or the content of bags and chests.

The inscriptions reads "The Good God, Menkheperre, given life, (and) the Good Goddess, Maatkare, may she live!" The piece has been identified as having belonged to a foreign wife of Thutmose III. It was possibly something bestowed as a mark of royal favor rather than used as an official seal, because it seems too large to have been worn by a woman.

Scarab Finger Ring with the Names of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, Gold, lapis lazuli

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Scarab Finger Ring with the Names of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, Gold, lapis lazuli
Scarab Finger Ring with the Names of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, Gold, lapis lazuli
Scarab Finger Ring with the Names of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, Gold, lapis lazuli
Scarab Finger Ring with the Names of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, Gold, lapis lazuli

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