Scarab

A scarab is an ancient Egyptian amulet in the form of a dung beetle, symbolic of regeneration. As time went on, scarabs developed into use as personal seals. This example carved from rock crystal probably dates from the New Kingdom (around 1539 to 1069 BC).

The details of the dung beetle have been incised in the rock crystal of this simple scarab. Unlike many other scarabs, the base is plain.

Scarabs were made in various materials, with glazed steatite the most common. They first appeared at the end of the Old Kingdom (around 2650 to 2150 BC), but did not become common until the Middle Kingdom (around 2007 to 1759 BC).

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