Egyptian scarabs : date and interpretation

[DonnaML]

Did anyone else buy any of the nearly 150 ancient scarabs offered in today's CNG e-auction no. 528? The substantial majority appear to be from the collection of the American Numismatic Society, given that they were sold "for the benefit" of the ANS and that the hieroglyphic inscriptions, where present, are all translated. I didn't even know that the ANS ever collected scarabs, but it seems, among other things, that E.T. Newell, the ANS President until his death in 1941, was a major collector of scarabs, intaglios, cylinder seals, etc., in addition to coins. See his obituary at https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/BASOR3218914?journalCode=basor .

I purchased two of the ANS scarabs -- one depicting a uraeus and goose bearing the name of the Hyksos king Nekare, and the other from the New Kingdom with an image of the cat goddess Bastet as part of the inscription "May the truth of Lady Bastet endure."  I will post photos and more details after the scarabs arrive, in the thread for my own antiquities collection.

Edited December 1, 2022 by DonnaML

[DonnaML]

For anyone interested, I would estimate that at least 15 of the 150 went unsold. I don't know what CNG's policy is regarding the availability of unsold lots for purchase.

 

[Hesiod]

1 hour ago, DonnaML said:

For anyone interested, I would estimate that at least 15 of the 150 went unsold. I don't know what CNG's policy is regarding the availability of unsold lots for purchase.

 

You can email CNG asking if you can buy them at opening; they'll ask the consignor if that's okay. (I've done this once int he past).

 

I don't think the scarabs are from the ANS persay, it's not that rare for a consignor to ask for items to be sold with the proceeds going to the ANS. I managed to win 3 scarabs: one of the Hyskos ones with a geometric pattern, and two new kingdom scarabs (one with Anubis and one with two uraei).

[thenickelguy]

On 11/28/2022 at 10:10 PM, thenickelguy said:

So fascinating. I've always wanted to get at least one of these scarabs and a ushabti figure but know so little about them. Maybe someday one of you people will post one for sale on the cabinet. All I have is a heavy brass hinged scarab. It is maybe from 1950 to 1970? If I run across it, I'll edit and add a picture. I think the hieroglyphs on the underside are probably decorative gibberish. It is still a nice hunk of decorative brass but not the real thing.

Thanks for the neat thread!

I'm quoting myself to keep my promise. Haven't had much else to write about lately as I haven't acquired any new coins. I did find my trinket box.

It has an original patina and I still like it. As I stated, I'm sure the hyroglyphics are probably nonsense and might translate to "Made in Pakistan" LOL but I still like it.

I found a cast iron fly box too I boxed away with it. I remember I bought a lot of various very old cast items at the same time. A heavy round 13 star trivet, a 100 year anniversary cast hatchet of Washington's 1789 Inauguration. Definitely an original as there are many repros. I have an eagle with a rust fused square nut with traces of original blue paint. Also found an architectural cast iron 5 pointed star wall tie bar you would see on opposite sides of older buildings from the later 1800's. There are other neat cast items from that lot as well.

Here's my brass scarab, (which looks like it was used as an ashtray) and my fly anyway in gold paint but never was hinged.

[antwerpen2306]

I have to congratulate you, you have the exact translation of your scarab 😀

It is amusing to get some of this things as long as it is not to expensive. If you still smoke, it is a useful thing.

 

[Tejas]

I didn't think there was a Scarab thread on this forum. I only have a few Scarabs. I'm not really a collector, but can't resist here and there to buy one if it looks interesting and reasonably priced. 

I got this one in a recent auction:

New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069 BC), temp. Thutmose I (1506-1493 BC), large green glazed scarab, with cartouche and name of the king, 20mm, 4.09g. Very fine

I love ancient Egyptian history and have been to Egypt several times and travelled the whole length of the Nile from Alexandria to Abu Simbel. Last year we did a trip on a Dahabya (a small saling ship) up the Nile from Luxor to Assuan. In the 1990s I spend 3 weeks in Luxor, exploring every temple and tomb that was accessible and some that weren't really. 

In Luxor, I would never stay anywhere but the Old Winter Palace Hotel. It still preserves some of the charme of the 19th and early 20th centuries when all of the exiting discoveries went on in Egypt. 

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Tejas

[antwerpen2306]

IVery nice scarab, do you have a translation. I have some ideas on the first view, but I am not at home for the moment. 

The name of Thoutmosis I doedn t mean the scarab is to date on hislifetime period.

 

 

[Tejas]

I don't have the complete reading. 

The legend includes the throne name with the prenom: Ra kheper Ka Ra (great is the manifestation of the soul of Ra)

The hieroglyphs on the left read (I think): Nṭr nfr nb t3wy Ra (the perfect god, lord of the two lands Ra)

The hieroglyphs on the right, I have yet to decipher.

 

It is of course true that the presence of Thutmosis I name on a scarabaeus does not mean that it was produced in his lifetime. In fact, his name was still used up to 1000 years after his reign.

However, I think this scarab is likely to have been produced either during his reign or not too long thereafter. The reasons being:

1. The scarab's features are consistent with the new kingdom, rather than the later or late periods.
2. The hierogphys are exceptionally well executed. The workshop that produced the scarab probably worked for the royal court (or at least produced a quality that was fit for the king).
3. While most hierogpyphs on scarabs were copied by illiterate craftsmen, especially those of the later periods. This, unusually long legend appears to be the work of somebody who knew what he was writing, or at least who worked to a standard that was controlled by professional scribes.

My theory is that this scarab was "issued" at the accession to the throne of Thutmosis I in around BC 1504, but that is pure speculation or wishful thinking of course. 🙂   

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

Scarabs were basically amulets, i.e. most of the time they were used as amulets in necklaces, bracelets, fingerrings etc. I would say that 99% of all scrabs fall into this category. 

However, the earliest Scarabs were apparently used primarily as seals. These were the large (typically glazed steatite) scarabs of the Middle Kingdom. Often these Scarabs show names and offices or geometric patterns. 

Administrative changed in the early Middle Kingdom (around 2000 BC) let to the creation of a large class of civil servants, which used scarab-shaped seals in their daily business. These scarab seals are very rare today.

Here is an example from my collection. 

Scarab (seal) of an official of the Middle Kingdom

Probably 12th dynasty (1981-1802 BC)

Glazed steatite

Measurements: 24mm x 16mm x12 mm

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

If anybody here can help with the reading of the hieroglyphs, that would be fantastic.

The arm with the stick may indicate an office. This hieroglyph means to force or enforce.

The vulture and cobra (uraeus) on the baskets refer to the "two ladies" Nekhbet and Wadjet, who represent upper and lower Egypt.  Hence, this may be the so called Nebty-name (or two ladies name) of a Pharaoh.

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

Here is a link to a Scarab with the throne name of Thutmose I from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

Scarab Inscribed with the Throne Name of Thutmose I | New Kingdom | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org)

The hieroglyphs are basically the same as on my Scarab (further up, not the last one). Unfortunately, the Met doesn't provide a reading of the inscription.

However, most of the formula is relatively clear: 

"The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the perfect lord of the two lands (whose name is) "Great is the manifestation of the soul of Ra". To whom life is given (or who receives life) ... " 

(I assume that the hieroglyph next to the Pyramid is ankh = life) 

I think the usual formula Nesu byti neb tawy (King of Upper and Lower Egypt and Lord of the two lands) was embellished here as "good" or "perfect" Lord of the two lands. 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

Some observations for the benefit (hopefully) to the fellow collectors. 

The price (or value) of a scarab is (apart from condition, material and size) influenced by the presence of hieroglyphs. Scarabs with readable hieroglyphs typically command higher prices. Scarabs with the readable names of kings, queens, princes or princesses often command the highest prices. 

However, I noticed that these readings are often very doubtful or wishful thinking. For example, an inscription may read: "Neb Maat Ra". This was one of the names of Amenhotep IV, but it can also be read independently as "the possessor of the Maat of Ra".  

As a rule, I think if there are royal epithets with the hieroglyphs (such as on the two scarabs I showed above), then a name of a pharaoh was intended. If such epithets are missing, the writer probably invoked the actual meaning of the hieroglyphs and was not referring to a ruler.

This explains also the apparent presence of Old Kingdom pharaoh names on New Kingdom (and later) scarabs. For example, there is currently an auction, which offers a scarab with the name of pharaoh Khufu (Cheops, who built the great pyramid). However, the name appears without any indication of a royal name and should thus be simply read as "He protects me", which makes a lot of sense for an amulet. In contrast, the name of a pharaoh makes little sense if he had died some 1500 years earlier and some 500 years before the invention of scarab amulets.

There are, however, exceptions where names of pharaohs were copied, usually inside a cartoush, i.e. a royal epithet. For example, the name of Thutmosis III can frequently be found on scarabs, even 1000 years after his death. The name was probably copied by illiterate workmen as part of the design.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

Here is a picture of the scarab, which reportedly shows the name of pharaoh Khufu (Cheops). He ruled around 2598-2566 BC. Scarab amulets appeared around 2000 BC, i.e. more than 500 years after his death. The amethyst scarab below may date to around 1000 BC. 

[Tejas]

I bought this scarabaeus below in the recent Harlan Berk sale. 

Harlan Berk described the Scarab as follows:

"Egyptian Steatite Scarab of Seti II, New Kingdoms Period, 19th Dynasty, Reign of Seti II, ca. 1203-1197 BC. Small scarab with central, bidirectional piercing for suspension. The back is simply engraved, showing common features of the scarab. On the face, r'us’r m’n Xpr, stp n’ r’ – a cartouche of Seti II. Ex The Mark and Lottie Salton Collection. 12 mm"

The attribution is, however, wrong. The Scarab shows the throne name of Pharaoh Shoshenq I, the first pharaoh of the 22nd dynasty. He ruled from about BC 942 - 920 and was famous for his campaign against Israel and Judah.

 

After the death of Solomon in 930 BC, Judah was under the control of Rehoboam (Solomon's son), while Israel was ruled by Jeroboam I, and both of these kingdoms were attractive prospects for the new Egyptian ruler.

Apparently, Jeroboam I had led an open rebellion against Solomon before his death, weakening both kingdoms. Sheshonq defeated both in 925 BC. As a result, Shoshenq I is the only Egyptian pharaoh mentioned in the Hebrew bible, where he appears under the name variant Shishak.

One would have to look back to the reign of Ramesses III in Egypt's 20th Dynasty to find an equal to this victorious campaign. It opened with an engagement in the area of Bitter Lakes against Bedouins. Afterwards, he went first against Judah, setting out from Gaza with 1,200 chariots and an army that included Libyans and Nubians. He penetrated some distance into the Negev, capturing the principal towns of Judah before arriving at the walls of Jerusalem.

He surrounded the city but was bought off by being given, according to the Bible 1 Kings 14:26, "the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the King's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made". Apparently, the only treasure that Rehoboam was able to retain was the most sacred Ark of the Covenant.

Now, Sheshonq I turned his attention to Israel, forcing Jeroboam, who had once been under Sheshonq I's protection, to flee over the Jordan River. He was nevertheless captured by an Egyptian patrol. Sheshonq finally halted at Megiddo, which had been conquered by Tuthmosis III 500 years before. There, he erected a victory stele in the manner of his predecessors before marching southwards over Mount Carmel and returning to Egypt by way of Ashkelon and Gaza.

The 22nd dynasty was a dynasty of foreigners (Lybians) and the time is counted as the third intermediate period. Hence, I thinks the Scarab will have been made during the reign of Shoshenq I. The scarab is a rare piece of Eygptian and biblical history.

 

 

The hieroglyphs read: Hedj kheper Ra setep en Ra, which can be translated as "The bright one is a manifestation of Ra, chosen by Ra"

 

Here is an article to the archaeological discovery of a Scarab of Shoshenq I (note he is called Sheshonq I in the article, but the same person is meant).

A newly discovered scarab of Sheshonq I: recent Iron Age explorations in southern Jordan | Antiquity Journal

 

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by Tejas

[ConservatorGG]

Hi all, I'm a scarab newbie who has just purchased a scarab ring online, set in sterling silver. It was a good price so I was not overly concerned with its provenance when I made the purchase. Of course, I have now fallen down an internet rabbit hole and must know more about scarabs. Still waiting for it to be delivered, but I am wondering if anyone can tell me anything about my scarab based on the seller's photos? I suppose my first question is if it is even genuinely from antiquity or a reproduction. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

ReplyForward

 

 

 

[Tejas]

Unless this Scarab ring comes with a provenance that is beyond any doubt, I would  assume that it is a "modern" reproduction. Modern meaning any time beween 1850 and today.

It could also be a partial reproduction, with the Scarab being genuine and the ring being modern. A few observations:

1. The Scarab is holed and was probably not originally intended to be set in a ring.

2. Steatite, the material the Scarab is made off is not particularly suitable for setting in a ring. 

3. Silver was scarce in ancient Egypt (often scarcer than gold). Combining such a crude Scarab,  which had no material value in ancient Egypt, with a rare metal seems odd to me. Low value Scarab rings were made of copper or bronze, which is often badly corroded.

Overall, you would need to show this to a real expert, but unfortunately, my hunch is that at least the metal parts of the ring are modern reproductions, which in my view also casts doubt on the Scarab itself. Sorry that I don't have more encouraging news and please remember this is just my personal opinion. 

Btw. the hieroglyphs read Hrw - s. I can't make out the sign between Hrw and s. However, the legend definitely refers to Horus.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Tejas

[antwerpen2306]

First : I am happy Tejas continue this scarab topic; I hope to be able n a few months to continue also.

Conservatorgg : I think the silver ring is new, for the scarab, it is possible to give a date with this pictures, but need, if possible, better photos of the inscription.

@Tejas very nice and interesting scarabs, I hope to give a comment asap. 

[ConservatorGG]

@Tejas Thank you kindly for your reply and for your hieroglyph translation. I was not aware of the scarcity of silver in Ancient Egypt; that's interesting. I was thinking/hoping the ring could be an example of Egyptian revival jewellery from the late 19th-early 20th centuries, wherein ancient scarabs were set into new jewellery. However, a closer look at the silver hallmarks dates the setting to the 1970s (if I've read them correctly). 

@antwerpen2306 I've attached photos of the inscription here; unfortunately, these are the best photos that I could capture with my old phone:

 

I would not be too devastated if the scarab itself turns out to be a 20th-century replica. If anything, it will further fuel a desire to acquire a genuine ancient scarab.

[antwerpen2306]

-@Tejas  The transcription, given by the seller is wrong, but I have also some doubts with your interpretation of the inscription. The hieroglyphs are :  Kheper Hedj setep en Ra. The name of Ra is here only once mentioned, in the name of Shoshenq twice, in the beginning and in the middle. This is very important because a name, including the name of Ra, begins always with his sign. I translate it as : The (white) crown (of Upper Egypt) chosen by Ra. The sign kheper here has no particular meaning, I know this combination for the crown of Lower Egypt. I did not check the period of the scarab, but it looks me 19-20 dynasty.

@ConservatorGG  I agree with @Tejas the bird can be the sign for Horus, below maybe the sign for neb : Lord. It is very difficult to read more. I think the scarab is authentic and must dated Hyksos period to 20th dynasty

[Tejas]

On 8/5/2023 at 4:19 PM, antwerpen2306 said:

-@Tejas  The transcription, given by the seller is wrong, but I have also some doubts with your interpretation of the inscription. The hieroglyphs are :  Kheper Hedj setep en Ra. The name of Ra is here only once mentioned, in the name of Shoshenq twice, in the beginning and in the middle. This is very important because a name, including the name of Ra, begins always with his sign. I translate it as : The (white) crown (of Upper Egypt) chosen by Ra. The sign kheper here has no particular meaning, I know this combination for the crown of Lower Egypt. I did not check the period of the scarab, but it looks me 19-20 dynasty.

 

Hi, thanks for your reply and your thoughts on the inscription. I still think, however, that this is the name of Sheshonq. I think the fact that "Ra" is only written once is not important. If there was not enough space, the Egyptians would drop a sign that appeared twice and the reader was expected to read the remaining sign twice.*

A Sheshonq-Scarab from the collection of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem:

Source: For more examples of this spelling with only one Ra:

Search | The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (imj.org.il)

 

* Note that the spacing or distribution of the hieroglyphic signs was very important to the Egyptians. This means they would rather compromise on a correct spelling if this disturbed a pleasing distribution of the hieroglyphs. Hence, if there was space to fill they would add "unnecessary" signs that were already implied by other signs and if there was not enough space they would often drop signs that could be inferred from other signs or by reading other signs twice.

Edited August 29, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

On 7/20/2023 at 1:22 AM, ConservatorGG said:

I would not be too devastated if the scarab itself turns out to be a 20th-century replica. If anything, it will further fuel a desire to acquire a genuine ancient scarab.

For me it is impossible to say if the scarab is ancient or not. If it is possible to remove the scrab from the setting, without damage, this could help with further investigations. For example, if you found that there is compact sand or other deposits in the hole of the scarab, this could be a good sign. 

I think the legend is not so important, i.e. not sophisticated. It seems to refer to Horus, but that is a common feature. I also read the sign for "S" and I think antwerpen2306 is correct, there maybe "Neb", which can mean lord underneath. Scarabs were mass produced in ancient Egypt. Most of them were made by illiterate workmen, who copied some signs, which people recognized. 

Scarabs with sophisticated legends are much rarer. They are believed to have been produced by royal workshops under the supervision of scribes. Here is one such scarab from my collection. It shows the so called Nebty-name (indicated by the vulture and cobra on the baskets, which refer to the "two ladies" Nekhbet and Wadjet. I think that this scarab mentiones the same of a yet to be identified Pharaoh, perhaps of the middle kingdom

I read:

nbty nhbt w3dt  (nekh-bet wahdge-et)

ity hrp iu

Edited August 29, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

On 9/13/2022 at 4:21 PM, antwerpen2306 said:

Next one is a real Egyptian scarab, not a Hyksos-version.

Steatit, 15 mm, 5 mm, 6 mmm, second intermediary period, XVI° Dynasty.

The inscription is  : 𓎟 𓆄 𓋹 : nb m;’.t ‘nh : neb maat ankh. 

The hieroglyph neb is reversed to fit better in the curve, it means Lord

The second one is the ideogram for truth and the symbol for the goddess Maat

The third one is the ankh, meaning live. The translation is : Lord of the Truth and of Live, a title indicating the Pharaoh, who was the link between the gods ans the world. This titla was already used in the Old Period. The signs of Maat and Ankh are often found in names.

The scarab is of better quality than the inscription on the base, indicating maybe that these scarabs were fabricated in advance and that the buyer had the possibility to choose the inscription, made by another person. There is little damage because the base broke 

 

 

Hi, here I would suggest a different reading. Neb can mean lord, but it also means “all and every”, which I think makes more sense than “lord” in this hieroglyphic grouping. So I think the intended meaning was something like “All and every truthfulness and life” or perhaps a wish for an “all truthfulness life”. 

Edited September 3, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

On 9/15/2022 at 1:53 PM, antwerpen2306 said:

This is a scarab from the XVIII° Dynasty. Glazed steatit, 17 mm, 11 mm, 6 mm. Steatit (soapstone)is a soft material mostly used from the XII° to the XX° Dynasty. Scarabs made of steatit were often glazed and this can also help us for dating. The characteristic glaze of the early XVIII° Dynasty is green with a grey shade, for the later periods are the colors from green to blue.

The base shows three hieroglyphs :  𓏠 :  𓆄 𓅯

the first represents a game board : mn = constant

the second is the symbol for Maat : the Truth

The third is a landing duck : hni = be present

So we can translate : Maat is all the time here. It can also be a name, because the hieroglyph mn is often used in namen ; p.e. : in the naame Amon.

 

 

Hi, I think the feather and the gaming board hieroglyphs read “I men” = Amun. I’m not sure about the flying duck though.

[Tejas]

On 9/4/2022 at 4:24 AM, DonnaML said:

Just please remember that scarabs with the name of Tuthmosis III on them can be perfectly genuine ancient scarabs without dating back to his reign: I have read that they were still making them many hundreds of years later. 

This is very true. The throne name of Thutmosis III translates as “Lasting is the manifestation of Ra”, written with three hieroglyphs. If there is no other indication that a royal name was intended, like a cartoush or royal titles, I think it is possible that the inscription was not intended as reference to Thutmosis, but to invoke the protection of Ra. 

Edited September 3, 2023 by Tejas

[Tejas]

On 11/27/2022 at 9:49 AM, DANTE said:

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your scarabs, @antwerpen2306

Earlier this weekend I bought this rather large and worn scarab in a French auction. What drew me in was the depiction of Bes( I've always wanted a depiction of him), and in spite of the obvious damage ( or perhaps because of it) it just looked way too attractive to be able to resist it. The fact that I'll be able to enjoy it without using a magnifying-glass is a bonus.

But I am simply not versed in Egyptian iconography, so I can't decipher it properly. Bes and the uraei I can make sense of, (they're a relatively common combination), but the rest is a deep mystery to me... Unfortunately, the seller's description isn't any help. Since they creatively identify the uraei flanking Bes as 'palmtrees', I think it's safe to take the rest of the attribution and description with a grain of salt... 🙂 

Here's the seller's description:

'Egypte - Scarabée pharaonique en pierre - Troisième période intermédiaire - 1069 / 747 av. J.-C.
Beau scarabée en stéatite de couleur gris anthracite dont l'empreinte représente le dieu Bès de face, entouré de 2 palmes avec un cartouche pharaonique au dessus. 33*25 mm.'

And of course, the scarab itself (seller's pic):

Fom the sizeI can't make out if it's pierced or not, but given the size it could well be a heart scarab.

Could you perhaps help out an illiterate and let your light shine on this one? I'd be ever so grateful!

I like the scarab as an object in its own right, and I will definitely enjoy having it, but knowing more about it would certainly help me enjoy it even more. I'm curious to know if the given time-frame (third intermediate period) is correct. And if you (or anyone else) could make sense of the cartouche above ('cartouche pharaonique'), well, that would be fantastic! But really any help toward solving the scarab-puzzle would be appreciated.😃

Dan

As antwerpen2306 wrote, the cartouch on top gives the throne name of Thutmosis III. Below is the god Bes between two Uraeus snakes. The appearance of Bes on a scarab is rather rare, I think,