Seal amulet

This scarab made of steatite has been carved into the form of a dung beetle (Scarabaeus sacer). From the earliest times the adult dung beetle that was observed to roll a ball of dung across the sand apparently prompted in the minds of the Egyptians a comparison with the rising sun god reborn at each dawn. The Egyptian noun scarab literally means ’that which comes into being’, and thereby the amulet was associated both with the notion of the creation of new life and that of rebirth. The oval underside of this scarab is decorated with an incised figure of a scorpion encircled by a thin oval line. This dangerous animal most probably refers to the protective goddess Serqet, who protected mortals from the venomous bites of snakes and scorpions, and aided the dead during the embalming process and rebirth. The scarab was one of the most popular amulets in ancient Egypt, which could assure protection for the bodies of mortals during their lifetime or help them on their journey through the netherworld. The piercing through the longitudinal axis of the amulet suggests that it was originally threaded or set in a ring.