Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Uninscribed Heart Scarab

Probably Third Intermediate Period
ca. 1080–664 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130
Although this example is uninscribed, its size and style identify it as a "heart" scarab, meant to be placed within the wrappings of the mummy. Many such scarabs bear the text of Chapter 30B of the Book of the Dead, in which the owner asks his or her heart not to testify against them at the Judgment before Osiris, or Weighing of the Heart.

At the judgment, which took place in the Hall of Two Truths in the realm of the god of the dead, Osiris, the heart would be weighed against the symbol of the goddess Maat, embodiment of the proper order of the Egyptian cosmos. If the deceased had lived an ethical life and thus upheld the order of the cosmos, he would be allowed to live forever in the company of Osiris. If the heart was did not balance, showing that its owner had not lived according to Maat, it was fed to a monstrous creature called Ammut, and the person would die forever.

This scarab is made of a green stone, as instructed in the Book of the Dead. Traces of gilding can be seen here as well.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Uninscribed Heart Scarab
  • Period: Probably Third Intermediate Period
  • Date: ca. 1080–664 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt
  • Medium: Stone, gold
  • Dimensions: L. 5.6 × W. 4.2 × H. 2.3 cm (2 3/16 × 1 5/8 × 7/8 in.)
  • Credit Line: Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
  • Object Number: 30.8.1076
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Bowl with flutes f rom shoulder to rosette at base, silver
Bowl with flutes f rom shoulder to rosette at base
4th century BCE
Ring, scarab, Gold, green stone
Ring, scarab
ca. 1080–721 BCE
Arched Harp (shoulder harp), Wood
Arched Harp (shoulder harp)
ca. 1386–1300 BCE
Box-form ornament with granulation, Gold
Box-form ornament with granulation
6th–4th century BCE
Scarab seal ring, Jasper, green with gold mount and copper alloy ring
Scarab seal ring
ca. 1700–1560 BCE

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.