scarab winged.scarab

Winged scarab, uninscribed, in blue glazed ware. Heart scarab from a mummy, with perforations for stitching to the mummy wrappings. The wings on this scarab have been attached back to front, probably in the nineteenth century.

Wilson,Robert

Dates: Early: -948 Late: -743 Period: 22 dynasty

faience

L: 65 mm W: 145 mm

were very common amulets or lucky charms. They are shaped like the dung beetle, which makes animal dung into balls, which it pushes along the ground. The Ancient Egyptians thought that the god Khepri was like a giant beetle who pushed the sun across the sky. People also thought that scarabs would protect them when they were dead so that their spirit could live safely in the otherworld. For this reason, scarabs were often placed in the coffin with a mummy. Other scarabs were used like a seal to stamp the name of the pharaoh on official documents.