Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing Related to Amun (Amun-Re)

Third Intermediate Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130

Scarabs bearing wishes and blessings related to divinities whose protection individuals wished to summon are particular popular during the (late) New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1295-664 B.C.). Given the limited surface on scarab bases, seal engravers were often very creative in using as few hieroglyphs and signs as possible in order to convey their message.

The three elements engraved on this scarab’s base convey a blessing related to Amun or Amun-Re. The god is represented in the image of the solar barque. The kneeling figure holding palm branches in each hand is the god of infinity and eternity, Heh. The entire composition calls upon the protection of the sun god, the lord of infinity.

Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing Related to Amun (Amun-Re), Faience

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Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing Related to Amun (Amun-Re), Faience
Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing Related to Amun (Amun-Re), Faience
Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing Related to Amun (Amun-Re), Faience
Scarab Inscribed with a Blessing Related to Amun (Amun-Re), Faience

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