Egyptian Carnelian Scarab

£ 1,500.00

A fine Ancient Egyptian scarab naturalistically modelled in red carnelian. The underside of the scarab is plain displaying the natural, marbled-pattern of the stone. Naturalistically rendered scarabs and scaraboids, such as this beautiful example, were usually carved from precious and semi-precious stones and were found in tombs dating from the Late period onwards, usually placed on top of different parts of the mummy.

Date: Circa 664-332 BC
Period: Late Period
Condition: Very fine, intact, the stone is in perfect condition.

SOLD

Product Code: ES-23
Category: Tags: ,

Carnelian was credited with magical properties and as a material for scarabs it was popular within the 18th Dynasty. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the Scarabeus Beetle had the ability to spontaneously regenerate itself from cow dung, which these beetles roll around, forming small balls they push forward, bury themselves and lay eggs in. Consequently the scarab came to be associated with the spontaneous continuation of the life cycle. In addition, this movement resembled the journey the sun does everyday across the sky and therefore the Egyptian god Khepri, who represents the morning sun, became strongly associated with this insect. Scarabs are amongst the most popular and most numerous of all Ancient Egyptian artefacts and were especially employed in the funerary context.

To discover more about amulets in the Ancient Egyptian world, please visit our relevant post: Amulets in Ancient Egypt.

Dimensions L 2.3 x W 1.5 cm
Semi-Precious Stone

Carnelian

Region

North Africa

Egyptian Mythology

Khepri

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