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Egyptian Antiquities :
Egyptian Scarabs : New Kingdom Black Stone Scarab
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New Kingdom Black Stone Scarab - PF.5818
Origin: Egypt
Circa: 11
th
Century BC
to 10
th
Century BC
Dimensions:
2" (5.1cm) high
x 1.5" (3.8cm) wide
Collection: Egyptian
Medium: Stone
Additional Information: SOLD
$8,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
By far the most important amulet in
ancient
Egypt was the scarab, symbolically as
sacred to
the Egyptians as the cross is to
Christians.
Based upon the dung beetle, this sacred
creature
forms a ball of dung around its semen
and rolls
it in a large ball over the sand
dropping it into its
burrow. The female lays her eggs on the
ground
and covers them with the excrement ball
that is
consumed by the larvae that emerge in
the
following days as if miraculously
reborn. In the
life cycle of the beetle, the Ancient
Egyptians
envisioned a microcosm of the daily
rebirth of
the sun. They imagined the ancient sun
god
Khepri was a great scarab beetle rolling
the sun
across the heavens. The scarab also
became a
symbol of the enduring human soul as
well,
hence its frequent appearance in
funerary art.
Scarabs of various materials form an
important
class of Egyptian antiquities. Though
they first
appeared in the late Old Kingdom
(roughly
2575–2130 B.C.), scarabs remained rare
until
Middle Kingdom times (circa 1938-1600
B.C.)
when they were fashioned in great
numbers.
While some were used as ornaments,
others were
purely amuletic in purpose. The seal
type of
scarab was, however, the most common,
and
many clay seals have been found
attesting to this
use. However, this gorgeous scarab
bears no
inscription on its base. Therefore it
was most
likely an amulet. Perhaps the owner
would have
carried it around in order to secure
protection
from evil forces. Perhaps the object
was simply
a decorative ornament for we can easily
appreciate its tremendous beauty and the
expertise of its workmanship. Overall,
the scarab
is a potent symbol for the glories of
Ancient
Egypt as a whole. In our hands, we hold
a
tangible reminder of the mythology,
religion, and
funeral rites of this civilization that
continue to
fascinate mankind even today.
- (PF.5818)
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