Scarab Inscribed with a Geometric Pattern
Description
Scarab; spirals, hes-vase; notched back. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, early, Joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, ca. 1479–1458 B.C. Steatite (glazed). L. 1.5 cm (9/16 in); w. 1.2 cm (1/2 in); h. 0.7 cm (1/4 in). From: Temple of Hatshepsut, Foundation Deposit 9 (I), Deir el-Bahri, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1926–27. Subject: Scarabs. Credit: Rogers Fund, 1927.
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 small glazed scarab-shaped amulet inscribed/marked with a central geometric cross-like motif and four surrounding spiral elements.
The image shows an oval scarab-like object with a turquoise-green glazed surface. The central design is a stemmed, cross-shaped figure with radiating arms, rendered in dark blue/black incised lines. Four spiral motifs (one in each quadrant) sit around the center, and two horizontal bar-like strokes extend left and right from the central area. No legible hieroglyphs, cartouches, or alphabetic text are clearly visible; the markings appear purely decorative/geometric rather than readable inscription. The glaze shows slight wear and discoloration near edges, but the object appears intact overall.
Cross-references (4)
- Wikidata-Q Q116273228 tier-1
- Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- Inventory-Number 27.3.355 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
- MET-Object 549742 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
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.