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

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. 1.6 cm (5/8 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.

Oval scarab seal with a recessed/engraved hieroglyphic-like motif and signs in dark green/black on a green glazed surface.

The image shows a small oval scarab-shaped amulet viewed from above. The exterior surface is green with a glossy glaze and traces of red-orange pigment along the border. The central field contains a dense, symmetrical arrangement of incised signs arranged horizontally, including two tall vertical elements on both left and right and a central cluster of looped/entwined lines (possibly stylized lines representing an emblem/signs). The border is framed by a double-lined oval arc. No cartouches (enclosed royal name ovals) are clearly legible, and there is no readable line of text; the marking appears as an inscribed hieroglyphic motif rather than a continuous inscription. No explicit depiction of deities is recognizable from the motif alone.

religious New Kingdom (catalogue-provided) good
Materials glazed steatite (green)traces of red-orange pigment
Signs incised hieroglyphic motif with central looped emblem and paired vertical signs (specific signs unclear) ×10
Visible text "No clearly readable transliteration; appears as an engraved hieroglyphic motif with no discernible royal cartouche."

Inscriptions (1)

Inscription #1 AI reading of the photograph

Visible text (machine reading)

No clearly readable transliteration; appears as an engraved hieroglyphic motif with no discernible royal cartouche.

Connections

Found at Deir el-Bahri
Materials Glazed Steatite

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116276864 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 27.3.376 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 559907 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.