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

Scarab Inscribed with a Hieroglyphic Motif

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

Description

New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, early, Joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, ca. 1479–1458 B.C. Steatite (glazed). L. 1.7 cm (11/16 in); w. 1.2 cm (1/2 in); h. 0.8 cm (5/16 in). From: Temple of Hatshepsut, Foundation Deposit 7 (G), Deir el-Bahri, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1926–27. Subject: Hieroglyphs, 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.

Glazed green-blue scarab-shaped amulet inscribed with dark-blue/black hieroglyphic-style markings on its visible face.

The image shows an oval scarab form with a glossy glazed surface in turquoise/green-blue tones, worn at edges with small chips. Dark hieroglyph-like signs are painted/etched on the face, arranged vertically and symmetrically: a central upright motif that resembles a standing sign (possibly a column-like or seated figure), flanked by two circular/oval elements. Additional small strokes and a horizontal base line are visible near the lower portion. No readable royal cartouche, clear deity name, or complete inscription is fully legible from this single image; the marks are best recorded as hieroglyphic motif elements rather than specific transliterations. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible.

decorative New Kingdom (catalogue ground truth; image does not permit finer dating) good
Materials steatite (glazed)
Signs Unidentified hieroglyphic-style motif (central vertical sign) Unidentified flanking circular/oval signs ×2 Unidentified supporting strokes/lines (upper small element and lower horizontal line) ×3

Connections

Found at Deir el-Bahri
Materials Steatite

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116273194 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 27.3.373 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 549755 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.