1898.47.5
Scarab
Artist
Artist Unidentified (Egyptian)
Title
Scarab
Creation Date
after 1550 BCE
Century
15th century BCE or later
Classification
Sculpture
Creation Place
Ancient Mediterranean, Egyptian
Medium and Support
faience
Credit Line
Gift of George Warren Hammond, Honorary Degree, 1900, and Mrs. Hammond
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
1898.47.5
The scarab was an important symbol in ancient Egyptian religion that drew inspiration from the Scarabaeus sacer, a beetle known to roll balls of dung. The Egyptians likened this behavior to that of Khepri, an iteration of the sun god Ra associated with the rising sun. Khepri, whose name appears as a scarab in hieroglyphs, was believed to roll the disk of the morning sun over the eastern horizon at dawn. Through this connection, the scarab symbolized this heavenly cycle as well as the idea of rebirth or regeneration. Heart and winged scarabs were used in funerary contexts and were either wrapped or sewn onto the chests of mummies. Meant to give energy and strength to the mummy’s heart, funerary scarabs were often made from dark green or black stone and blue faïence.
