Scarab with Inscription Referring to Osiris

A small oval scarab carved from pale greenish stone, shown from above against a plain white ground. The flat base bears incised hieroglyphs, including a central vertical sign flanked by smaller figures and a horizontal band beneath. The carving is shallow and worn, with the beetle form visible at the rounded back.

Look closer: The beetle's carved head and wing cases are faintly visible at the rounded back edge of the seal.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1300–1080 BCE

Medium

Light greenish stone

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3200 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922