An Egyptian Amethyst Scarab, Middle Kingdom, ca. 2040 - 1783 BCE

A favorite among the pharaohs, especially during the Middle Kingdom, amethyst was thought to protect the wearer from evil and misfortune. This beautiful example ranges in color from deep violet to a pale lavender and is minimally carved into the scarab form, the base is uninscribed.

Background: A scarab is an amulet of a dung beetle; an insect that held particular significance for the Egyptians, who interpreted the rolling of a ball of dung along the ground and down a hole as simulating the sun moving across the sky and setting. The scarab laid its eggs inside the dung, and after an incubation period, the offspring emerged from beneath the earth. Thus, the Egyptian word for scarab was ‘Kheper’, meaning ‘to come into existence’. This creature became the embodiment of the creator god Khepri, who had a human body and the head of a dung beetle, and who it was believed brought the sun from the underworld and moved it through the sky. One of the most popular amulets in Egypt, scarabs were produced for over 2000 years, from the end of the Old Kingdom to the Ptolemaic Period. 

Medium: Amethyst

Dimensions: Length: 1/2 inch (1.3 cm), Width: 5/16 inch (0.8 cm)

Condition:  Intact and in very good condition overall.

Provenance: John Winnie private collection, acquired in the 1990s.

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