Scarab Incised with Hierolgyphs and Flower in Circle Border

Second Intermediate Period

ca. 1700–1600 B.C. (Middle Bronze Age IIB)

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109

In the early second millennium B.C., many Egyptian stamp seals are incised with decorative compositions of circles or scrolls. Compositions with circles become even more popular on Second Intermediate Period Egyptian scarabs and on Canaanite scarabs of the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1700–1500 B.C.).

Hieroglyphs and a stylized lotus flower decorate the underside of this scarab. They are surrounded by a border of circles, a design frequently found on Canaanite scarabs like this one. The hieroglyphs are not meant to form words, but were chosen for their decorative and general protective powers.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Scarab Incised with Hierolgyphs and Flower in Circle Border
Period: Second Intermediate Period
Date: ca. 1700–1600 B.C. (Middle Bronze Age IIB)
Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Lisht North, Cemetery, debris, MMA excavations
Medium: Steatite
Dimensions: L. 1.7 × W. 1.2 × H. 0.7 cm (11/16 × 1/2 × 1/4 in.)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1909
Object Number: 09.180.1131
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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