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

Seal in the shape of a hedgehog on original string

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

Description

Scarab, Amenemhat III. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, reign of Amenemhat III, ca. 1859–1813 B.C. Green glazed steatite. L. 0.9 × W. 0.6 × H. 0.5 cm (3/8 × 1/4 × 3/16 in.). From: Cemetery, debris, Lisht North, Memphite Region, Egypt. Excavation: MMA excavations, 1920–22. Credit: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922.

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 green glazed steatite seal with a loop of original string, the face incised with Egyptian-style motifs and possibly a cartouche-like sign or emblem.

The image shows a circular/oval green glazed steatite seal attached to fibrous beige string tied in loops above and below the seal. The seal surface has turquoise-green glaze with darker borders and an incised design in black/dark material. The central motif includes a prominent horizontal element with stacked or grouped vertical strokes beneath it, and a separate circular/spiral-like sign near the upper left of the face; together these resemble abstract hieroglyphic or stamp-engraved elements rather than a clearly identifiable hedgehog figure. No clearly readable hieroglyphic lines or full cartouches are visible, and no deity iconography can be confidently confirmed. No Greek/Coptic/Arabic text is visible.

decorative Middle Kingdom (catalogue ground truth; date cannot be independently confirmed from image alone) good
Materials green glazed steatite (glazed ceramic/stone appearance)fibrous string (linen or similar)
Signs abstract incised motif including a circular/spiral-like element and horizontal line with vertical strokes (likely hieroglyphic or emblematic) ×3

Connections

Found at Lisht
Royals Amenemhat III

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116282294 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 22.1.557 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 557027 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.