Origin: Egypt
Dimensions: 0.750" (1.9cm) wide
Collection: Egyptian antiquities
Style: Middle Kingdom- 2nd Intermediate
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.
This amulet in the form of a scarab is one of several Egyptian variations on the theme. Its head, plate, and clypeus are well defined, but the separation of the thorax from the elytra, or wing case, is only indicated by a triangular notch on either side of the body.

Antiquities
Ancient Egyptian