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Egyptian Antiquities :
Egyptian Scarabs : Canaanite Scaraboid
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Canaanite Scaraboid - LO.1118
Origin: Israel, Lebanon, Palestine
Circa: 1650
BC
to 1000
BC
Dimensions:
0.750" (1.9cm) wide
Collection: Egyptian Antiquities
Style: Canaanite
Medium: Steatite
£1,500.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
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The ancient Egyptians maintained that the sun
was propelled across the heavens by means of a
scarab, or sacred beetle. With the passing of
time, the Egyptians created a series of amulets
in the form of this beetle in a great variety of
materials, and these were routinely provided with
inscriptions in hieroglyphs conveniently
accommodated to their stylized flat bottoms. So
popular was the scarab that it became the one
amulet associated with Egypt by all of her
neighbors, and local variations were created in
imitation of the Egyptian model.
Our scarab is just such a variation, and may be
termed a scaraboid inasmuch as the
entomological details of the beetle have been
completely suppressed. The base is framed by a
braided surround, or guilloche, within which
appears to be a beetle propelling the sun disc
across the heavens. The design of this beetle,
however, includes a tail, or stinger, suggesting
that the artist has conflated the body of beetle
with that of a scorpion. The talismanic character
of such a design is evident because our
scaraboid is pierced transversely in order to
accommodate it as a pendant to be worn on a
necklace, thus protecting its owner from
malevolent forces.
The lack of parallels precludes an exact dating,
but the type and the design of the bottom
suggest that one is dealing with a Canaanite
imitation of an Egyptian model. As such, our
scaraboid is perhaps datable the second half of
the second millennium B.C., contemporary in
date with the Egyptian New Kingdom
- (LO.1118)
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