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Datec. 600-570 BCE
MediumTerracotta
DimensionsOverall: 1 3/16 × 1 3/16 × 5/8 in. (3 × 3 × 1.6 cm)
Other (scarab impression): 1/2 × 3/8 in. (1.3 × 1 cm)
Credit LineGift of William C. Winslow, Class of 1862
Object number1943.146.5
On view
DescriptionScarabs were an important part of ancient Egyptian art and culture and were associated with spontaneous generation, transcendence, renewal, and rebirth. Egyptians observed how scarab beetles pushed balls of dung containing their eggs across the ground until the eggs hatched, and in turn connected this action with the sun’s daily movement across the sky. Consequently, scarab beetles were associated with the two gods responsible for the sun and its movement, Ra and Khepri. In fact, the connection between these gods and scarab beetles was so strong that Khepri is always depicted with a scarab beetle as his head. Scarab beetles became a popular design for amulets beginning in the Old Kingdom (ca. 2686 – 2160 BCE), and eventually were used as stamps and seals engraved with various messages and names. (Written by Christina Naston '20)
One of six scarab impressions; lump of reddish or gray clay with one side flattened and impressed by scarab
Additional Details