THIS OBJECT WAS SOLD
Hyksos Scarab With The Golden Horus.
Glazed soapstone with gold setting
2.1 x 1.2 x 0.8 cm
Egypt, Second Intermediate Period, Hyksos Rule, c. 1638–1530 B.C.
Glazed steatite scarab preserved in its gold setting and pierced lengthwise for suspension. The flat surface is engraved in green glaze with a Horus falcon perched on the sign nbw, “gold”—the emblem of the Golden Horus. The piece is remarkably well-preserved, and the setting is intact.
The Golden Horus was one of the five great names of the pharaonic titulature, represented by a falcon perched on the hieroglyph for gold. Its meaning has long been debated: gold, an incorruptible metal and the flesh of the gods, designated the king as a divine and eternal being, while some interpret the falcon-on-gold as Horus triumphing over his adversary Seth. On a Hyksos scarab, the motif is depicted as an amulet rather than a formal royal name—a condensed emblem of solar kingship and divine permanence.
The Hyksos—from the Egyptian heka khasout, “rulers of foreign lands”—were a group of West Asian origin who ruled northern Egypt, and the Delta in particular, during the Second Intermediate Period. They formed the 15th Dynasty, recorded among the Egyptian royal lists in the Turin Royal Canon. Long portrayed as invaders, they actually left a lasting diplomatic and cultural legacy, associated with advances in language, military technology, and the introduction of horses and chariots to the Nile Valley.
2.1 x 1.2 x 0.8 cm
Egypt, Second Intermediate Period, Hyksos Rule, c. 1638–1530 B.C.
Glazed steatite scarab preserved in its gold setting and pierced lengthwise for suspension. The flat surface is engraved in green glaze with a Horus falcon perched on the sign nbw, “gold”—the emblem of the Golden Horus. The piece is remarkably well-preserved, and the setting is intact.
The Golden Horus was one of the five great names of the pharaonic titulature, represented by a falcon perched on the hieroglyph for gold. Its meaning has long been debated: gold, an incorruptible metal and the flesh of the gods, designated the king as a divine and eternal being, while some interpret the falcon-on-gold as Horus triumphing over his adversary Seth. On a Hyksos scarab, the motif is depicted as an amulet rather than a formal royal name—a condensed emblem of solar kingship and divine permanence.
The Hyksos—from the Egyptian heka khasout, “rulers of foreign lands”—were a group of West Asian origin who ruled northern Egypt, and the Delta in particular, during the Second Intermediate Period. They formed the 15th Dynasty, recorded among the Egyptian royal lists in the Turin Royal Canon. Long portrayed as invaders, they actually left a lasting diplomatic and cultural legacy, associated with advances in language, military technology, and the introduction of horses and chariots to the Nile Valley.
Explore similar pieces and discover your ideal find:
archeology
