Scarab Decorated with Scrolls and Papyrus

Middle Kingdom

ca. 1740–1640 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109

Scrolls and spirals –whether single or interlocking, or in combination with hieroglyphs or floral motifs– already decorate the earliest types of scarabs and are common throughout the first half of the second millennium B.C. While their meaning and source of inspiration remains unknown, scroll designs are also appealing to the eye. A wide variety of combinations, some of which more complex than others, is found on Egyptian scarabs of the Middle Kingdom and scrolls become particularly popular during late Dynasty 12 and Dynasty 13 (ca. 1850–1640 B.C.). While these designs continue to appear on scarabs in the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1640–1550 B.C.) and on contemporary Canaanite imitations, details in the composition or on the scarab’s back or its legs allow the seal-amulet to be more precisely dated. This scarab shows, for example, features on its back and sides that are characteristic for mid to late Dynasty 13, and it may have been carved at a scarab workshop active in Avaris (present-day Tell el-Dab’a).

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Scarab Decorated with Scrolls and Papyrus
Period: Middle Kingdom
Dynasty: mid to late Dynasty 13
Date: ca. 1740–1640 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Lisht North, Cemetery, debris, MMA excavations, 1920–22
Medium: Green glazed steatite
Dimensions: L. 1.4 × W. 1 × H. 0.7 cm (9/16 × 3/8 × 1/4 in.)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922
Object Number: 22.1.387
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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