Lot 5444

Description

Egypt, small scarab, 7x10mm, 19th dynasty (13th-12th century B.C.),obv. beatle, rev. inscription. Fine.

By far the most important amulet in ancient Egypt was the scarab, symbolically as sacred to the Egyptians as the cross is to Christians. The underside of the abdomen, or flat side, of the scarabs was usually inscribed with the names of pharaohs and officials, private names, magical mottos, formulae, volute designs and other patterns, images of deities, sacred animals, and religious symbols. Scarabs were a common form of "charm" which everyone could afford and easily wear strung on a cord on their person. Most scarabs were made for the living. The small magical object was believed imbued with particular protective powers that warded off evil and provided good things for the owner for this life and also for the next, particularly when sewn to mummy wrappings. Although scarabs are known from the earliest periods, it is in the 12th dynasty that their use as seals became common. The great majority of scarab seals were quite small, generally measuring around three-quarters of-an-inch long by half of-an-inch wide and about a quarter-o-an-inch high.