Scarab Inscribed with S-Shaped Spirals
Description
Scarab, 3 spirals. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III, ca. 1390–1352 B.C. Steatite, glazed. L. 1.8 cm (11/16 in.). From: South Village, Malqata, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1911–12. Subject: Scarabs. Credit: Rogers Fund, 1911.
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 oval scarab-shaped object with a light green/blue glazed surface and five visible S-shaped spiral motifs incised or molded in dark blue-green glaze.
The image shows an oval, scarab-form amulet viewed from the front. Around the center are multiple curling, S-like spiral elements arranged in a loosely symmetric cluster (three clearly visible in a U-like arrangement and two additional spirals at the top). The spiral forms are filled or outlined with a darker blue-green pigment compared to the lighter green ground. The edges and surface show wear and small losses, with scattered dark spots and chips. No clear human figures, animal body details (legs/wings), or readable hieroglyphic signs are visible; the decorative spirals dominate the visible decoration. There is no Greek/Coptic/Arabic text visible in the photograph.
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.