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Scarab of the Overseer of the Troops Sebeknakht

Middle Kingdom
ca. 1760–1670 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109
Scarabs bearing the names of nonroyal individuals first appeared in the later Twelfth Dynasty, concurrent with other significant cultural and political developments. Thereafter scarabs were mass produced, primarily as amulets, though they often also functioned as administrative seals. Scarab beetles lay their eggs in round balls of dung from which their young emerge, actions that the ancient Egyptians equated with the sun god and rebirth, appropriate symbolism for amulets that were often placed in tombs.

Link to a blog about soldiers in Ancient Egypt
In Honor of Pharaoh's Fighters

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Scarab of the Overseer of the Troops Sebeknakht
  • Period: Middle Kingdom
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 13
  • Date: ca. 1760–1670 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt
  • Medium: Glazed steatite
  • Dimensions: L. 2.7 cm (1 1/6 in.); W. 1.9 cm (3/4 in.); H. 1.1 cm (7/16 in.)
  • Credit Line: Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
  • Object Number: 30.8.669
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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