Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs in Rope Border

Second Intermediate Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109

A decorative rope border surrounds an oval (a debased version of the royal cartouche) containing hieroglyphs. The signs do not form words or a royal name, but are chosen for their protective value. The finely incised branches that decorate the back of the scarab are characteristic for Canaanite scarabs of the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700-1500 B.C.). Such scarabs often imitate Egyptian Middle Kingdom models, but do not always correctly render the hieroglyphs or symbols.

Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs in Rope Border, Glazed steatite

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Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs in Rope Border, Glazed steatite
Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs in Rope Border, Glazed steatite
Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs in Rope Border, Glazed steatite
Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs in Rope Border, Glazed steatite

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