An Egyptian Faience Royal Name Bead for Shabaka, ca. 705 - 690 BCE

Light brown glazed composition flat-backed lentoid name-bead: longitudinally pierced. Inscribed on the rounded surface with the prenomen cartouche of Shabaka, the full text reads: "The Son of Ra, Shabaka, living eternally”.

Neferkare Shabaka (or Shabako) was the third Kushite pharaoh of the 25th Dynasty, reigning from 705 – 690 BCE, inheriting the throne from his uncle Shebitku. Shabaka's reign is significant because he consolidated the Nubian Kingdom's control over all of Egypt from Nubia down to the Delta region. It also saw an enormous amount of building work undertaken throughout Egypt, especially at the city of Thebes, which he made the capital of his kingdom. In Karnak he erected a pink granite statue of himself wearing the twin crowns of Egypt. Shabaka succeeded in preserving Egypt's independence from outside foreign powers—especially the Neo-Assyrian Empire of Sargon II. The most famous relic from Shabaka's reign is the Shabaka Stone which records several Old Kingdom documents that the king ordered preserved.

Shabaka name beads were sold at the Cairo museum in 1948. In old inventory at the Krakow, Poland records a purchase of 19 plaques, three being name beads for Shabaka, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Sales No. 226, Unit Price: 5 Pt. (sic). The list also states the entire batch of items came from discoveries in the Holy Lake of Karnak (Sliwa).

for related examples see:

Hall H.R., "CATALOGUE", London -1913, 2494.
Matouk F.S., "CORPUS DU SCARABEE EGYPTIEN" vol. 1° Beyrouth-1971, 199, 807; 221,860.
Fraser, G., "A CATALOGUE OF THE SCARABS BELONGING TO GEORGE FRASER" , London-1900, pl.XIII, 367.
Sliwa J. "EGYPTIAN SCARABS, SCARABOIDS AND PLAQUES FROM THE CRACOW COLLECTIONS", Universitas Iagellonica, Varsavia-Cracovia-1985, pag. 12 e nota 24; nn. 25-43.
Nfa , classical auctions Inc. Dec.11, 1991, 296.

Condition: Complete with surface wear, in good condition overall.

Dimensions: Length: 2 1/2 inches (6.4 cm)

Provenance: Ex. J.B. collection, United Kingdom, acquired between 1970 - 2012, with old inventory labels (073, 739) on the back.