Scarab amulet

Size: X:40.9 Y:60 Z:18.8mm

Scarab Amulets

The scarab took its most prominent form in the shape of a sacred amulet. These amulets had a long history in Egypt, first appearing in 2124 B.C., and remained in use until Greek and Roman times (Metropolitan Museum of Art). The types of amulets, their uses and the importance to the Egyptians will be covered here.

Materials

Most scarabs were carved of steatite, though others were carved from lapis lazuli, turquoise, malachite and other minerals. Some scarabs were even just molded out of terra-cotta or alabaster (McClung Museum). Heart Scarabs, a particular type of scarab amulet, were often made of carnelian (The British Museum).

What was their purpose?

Due to the scarabs unique symbolism in Egyptian culture, these amulets were often used as a popular charm or jewelry piece with the added benefit of warding off evil and the like. Many scarab amulets have inscriptions upon them, such as names, wishes and charms. Some even have narratives that give us important information about events in Egypt (McClung Museum). Another important use of the scarab was as a seal (The British Museum). Seals had great importance in ancient Egypt as they showed whether or not things had been opened or tampered with (McClung Museum). The extra magical and religious connotations of the scarab gave the seal extra importance in the eyes of the Egyptians and an added level of protection.

Heart Scarabs

One of the most significant types of scarab amulets were the heart scarabs. The Ancient Egyptians obsessed about the after life and this amulet played an important role in their rituals. These amulets could be quite large at 7.5 cm compared to the average 1 cm of a common amulet (McClung Museum). The heart was very important to the Egyptians. It was associated with memory, intelligence and emotion, and was one of the few organs left in the body during mummification (The British Museum). During mummification the heart scarab would be wrapped into the mummies robes. The back of it would be inscribed with a protective spell telling the persons heart to not witness against them (Egypt About). The reason for this was that every person who entered the underworld had their heart weighed against a feather by the god Anubis. If the heart was lighter than a feather they had led a good life and were permitted entry. If it was heavier than a feather the heart was thrown to the creature Ammit to be devoured. Thus the amulet was a protection to guarantee entry into the afterlife.