Large Amuletic Bead
Description
<p>In addition to its original function as a personal seal, the scarab became one of the most powerful amulets, used by the living and entombed with the dead. Countless variations have been preserved, differing in design, size, and material, but always associated with eternity and regeneration. Some special scarabs have human or ram heads (the emblem of the god Amen-Re) joined to the body of the beetle. Others, called scaraboids, have the body replaced with that of another animal but retain the general oval shape. Rarer items are decorated beads, which were part of precious necklaces. Some show a palm tree surrounded by monkeys, symbolizing the daily rising of the sun god.</p><p>For the latest information about this object, <cite><a href='https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.382' rel='external'>Large Amuletic Bead</a></cite>, visit the Online Collection of the Walters Art Museum.</p>
Cross-references (2)
- Walters-AccNum 42.382 tier-2
- Walters-id 6355 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Walters Art Museum (Egyptian).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.