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Scarab with ichneumon (mongoose)

Third Intermediate Period
ca. 721–664 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130
The ichneumon or Egyptian mongoose does not often figure on the underside of seal-amulets. However, in the Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1070-664 B.C.), the ichneumon appears in combination with a sun disk and an ostrich feather, or with the pillar that is the symbol of the city of Iwnw, better known by its Greek name, Heliopolis. The ichneumon was indeed considered by the ancient Egyptians to be the animal of the sun god Atum, the creator god whose main cult center was at Heliopolis.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Scarab with ichneumon (mongoose)
  • Period: Third Intermediate Period
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 25 (Kushite)
  • Date: ca. 721–664 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt
  • Medium: Steatite
  • Dimensions: L. 1.4 × W. 1 × H. 0.6 cm (9/16 × 3/8 × 1/4 in.)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926
  • Object Number: 26.7.404
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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