Lion Hunt Scarab of Amenhotep III

Place of OriginEgypt

Date18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BCE), about 1381 BCE

Dimensions3 × 1 7/8 × 1/4 in. (7.6 × 4.8 × 0.6 cm)

MediumSteatite

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Henry W. Wilhelm

Object number

1927.73

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionThe object is a large scarab carved from steatite It is shaped in the standard form of a resting beetle, with wing cases and prothorax clearly defined and notched. The underside is incised with eight lines of hieroglyphic inscription. The piece is pierced longitudinally. The surface is worn and chipped, with approximately one-fourth of the inscription lost.

Label TextThis monumental scarab is not a personal seal but a piece of royal propaganda. Pharaoh Amenhotep III issued hundreds of these large scarabs to celebrate the achievements of his reign. This example, known as a "lion hunt" scarab, proclaims the king's prowess and divine strength. The hieroglyphic text on the underside records that he killed 102 lions "with his own arrows" during the first ten years of his rule . By distributing these objects to officials throughout his vast empire, from Syria to Sudan, Amenhotep III reinforced his image as a powerful and heroic ruler.Published ReferencesBlankenberg‑van Delden, Catharina, The Large Commemorative Scarabs of Amenhotep III, Leiden, Brill, 1969, p. 115, no. C 86.

Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 18, repr. (col.).