Funerary scarab

This funerary amulet made of Egyptian faience depicts the dung beetle (Scarabaeus sacer) naturalistically with its legs in high relief tucked underneath the belly. The underside of this scarab is roughly carved. Unlike scarabs which have a flat underside with protective symbols or a short inscription, and which could also function as seals and be used in everyday life, this type of amulet was only present in a funerary context to help the deceased in their journey through the afterlife. Similar amulets began to appear in the 26th dynasty (ca. 664–525 BC) and were found in groups on the chests of Late Period (ca. 722– 332 BC) mummies. The suspension loop in the middle of the scarab’s underside suggests that it was originally fastened to the linen bandages of the mummified body. From the earliest times the natural behaviour of the adult dung beetle that was observed rolling 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 noun ‘scarab’ literally means ‘that which comes into being’, and thereby the amulet was associated with the creation of new life and with rebirth for the deceased.