Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs Referring to Deities (Amun, Re, Maat)

Third Intermediate Period or Late Period

ca. 733–525 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130

A goose faces a large ostrich feather and a sun disk is placed above. The feather is a symbol of the goddess of truth and justice, Maat, but also of the god of air and light, Shu. As one of the symbolic animals of the sun god Amun, the goose is well-known in Egyptian imagery and the combination with a sun disk suggests that reference is made here to Amun-Re. Such combinations are known on seal-amulets from the New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1295 B.C.) to the Late Period (ca. 664-525 B.C.), found in Egypt as well as abroad. It is very likely that such inscriptions were not meant to call upon the protection of only Amun-Re and Maat, but rather that they left open the possibility to call upon any of the these divinities −Maat as well as Shu, Amun, Re and Amun-Re− by not specifying which specific deity was meant.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Scarab Inscribed with Hieroglyphs Referring to Deities (Amun, Re, Maat)
Period: Third Intermediate Period or Late Period
Dynasty: Dynasty 25–26
Date: ca. 733–525 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Faience
Dimensions: L. 1.1 cm (7/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 1889
Object Number: 89.2.492
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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