Scarab Seal with the title "King of Upper and Lower Egypt"

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Scarab Seal with the title "King of Upper and Lower Egypt"

Place of OriginEgypt

Date18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BCE), about 1400 BCE

DimensionsH: 9/16 in. (1.4 cm); W: 3/8 in. (1 cm)

MediumGlazed Steatite

ClassificationUtilitarian Objects

Credit LineGift of Henry W. Wilhelm

Object number

1927.60

Not on View

DescriptionA steatite scarab seal, formerly glazed, now appearing white to light brown. The back is carved in a naturalistic style with a serrated clypeus (head shield) and clearly defined plates. The prothorax and elytra (wing cases) are separated by incised lines; small triangular notches mark the upper outer corners of the elytra (humeral callosities). The legs are carved in relief, deeply undercut to separate them from the base. The underside is flat and oval, incised with the hieroglyphs n-sw-bity (Sedge and Bee), reading from right to left. The object is pierced longitudinally for suspension.

Label TextThis small beetle-shaped amulet is carved from steatite (soapstone) and was originally covered in a colorful blue-green glaze, which has since worn away. The underside bears the hieroglyphs for the royal title n-sw-bity, meaning "King of Upper and Lower Egypt." The signs depict a sedge plant (symbolizing Upper Egypt) and a bee (symbolizing Lower Egypt), representing the pharaoh's unifying power over the two lands.

Acquired in Egypt in 1927 by Caroline Ransom Williams, the first American woman formally trained as an Egyptologist, this piece served as both a seal and a protective amulet. The intricate carving of the beetle’s back—including the small triangles on its shoulders—helps scholars date it to the 18th Dynasty, a "golden age" of Egyptian art.