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

Scarab

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, Joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, ca. 1479–1458 B.C. Faience. L. 1.5 cm (9/16 in.). From: Hatshepsut Hole, Hathor Shrine, Deir el-Bahri, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1922–23. Credit: Rogers Fund, 1923.

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 blue faience scarab (ovoid insect form) shown in close-up with worn surface details and a recessed central motif resembling a stylized figure/inscription.

The image shows an oval, flattened scarab-shaped object made of blue faience. The top surface has incised/raised decorative elements: a central swirl or spiral-like form and symmetrical side elements that resemble stylized legs or columns of sign forms. Along the perimeter there is a beaded/linear border. The face has a recessed panel with what appears to be hieroglyphic-like strokes, but the individual signs are not clear enough to confidently read. No cartouches, crowns, or clearly legible royal names are visible. No modern markings or labels are present. Background is plain and does not include additional text.

royal New Kingdom (as catalogued); exact reign unclear good
Materials faience (blue glazed surface)
Signs Unidentified scarab/inscription motif (hieroglyphic-like strokes)
Visible text "Non-legible; appears to include small incised sign-like strokes within a central recessed area."

Inscriptions (1)

Inscription #1 AI reading of the photograph

Visible text (machine reading)

Non-legible; appears to include small incised sign-like strokes within a central recessed area.

Connections

Found at Deir el-Bahri

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116256817 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 23.3.252 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 550527 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.