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Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · jewelry

Scarab Inscribed With the Name of Queen Ahhotep

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Scarab, Queen Ahhotep. Late Second Intermediate Period–Early New Kingdom, Dynasty 17–Early Dynasty 18, reign of Tao I to Joint reign, ca. 1560–1458 B.C. Glassy faience. L. 2.1 cm (13/16 in); w. 1.5 cm (9/16 in); th. 1 cm (3/8 in). From: Tomb CC 44, Burial 4, Asasif, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: Carnarvon/Carter excavations, 1912. Subject: Hieroglyphs, Scarabs. Credit: Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926.

The same text in other collections

Linked by shared inventory number (MET-Object 544439). Each record below describes this same artifact or text from a different angle.

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A turquoise-blue glazed scarab-shaped amulet bearing a central inscribed design and surround (likely a stylized frame with hieroglyph-like forms).

The object is a compact, oval scarab/ground-beetle form with raised border and an inner circular/arched field. The central area contains dark incised shapes that resemble hieroglyphic or symbolic signs (including a prominent vertical element and two horn/loop-like forms on either side), though the exact sign values cannot be securely read from this image alone. The surrounding border is made of a band with repeating segment-like markings. No legs, antennae, or beetle wings are clearly depicted beyond the typical scarab silhouette and framing. The surface appears consistent with a glazed, faience-like material based on the glossy turquoise-blue color, with some edge wear and minor losses at the border.

unclear Late Second Intermediate Period–Early New Kingdom (per catalogue; exact reading of name not confirmed visually). good
Royals Unknown (catalogue claims Queen Ahhotep; the inscription is not legible enough here to confirm)
Materials glazed faience (turquoise-blue glassy surface)
Signs Unidentified incised hieroglyphic-like signs (exact reading unclear) ×5

Connections

Found at Asasif

Cross-references (5)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116235418 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 26.7.120 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 544439 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • PNM-Object pnm:83896276 tier-2 (inventory-match)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • 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.