Scarab with Uraeus and Sacred Beetle
Third Intermediate Period
A large cobra wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt faces right, while behind her a dung beetle pushes a sun disk forward between its fore legs. The uraeus (aroused cobra) is closely associated with the pharaoh, whereas the scarab refers to the sun god. A snake with royal crown may represent the goddess Wadjet, although she usually wears the Red Crow. Alternatively, she represents the goddess Nekhbet, who is sometimes depicted as a cobra wearing the White Crown, because the iconography of the two goddesses became intertwined as they are both closely connected with royal imagery and often appear together. Combined, these symbols call for divine and royal protection for the owner of the seal-amulet.
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