Heart Scarab
Unidentified Ancient Egyptian maker
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (1550-1295 BCE)
Light-colored stone coated with black, inscription in white paint
Overall: 2 3/16 × 1 5/8 in. (5.5 × 4.1 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College
13.157.4112
Geography
Place Made: Thebes, Egypt, Northern Africa, Africa
Period
2000-1000 BCE
Object Name
Funerary Equipment
Research Area
Ancient Egypt
Africa
On view
Inscriptions
Text: Most likely a spell from the Book of the Dead
Label
There was an explosion of interest in Ancient Egypt following Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of Egypt from 1798 to 1801. While Napoleon led the campaign to protect and extend French trade interests, his army was accompanied by 167 scientists who surveyed and recorded their discoveries in Egypt. Their published findings fueled popular interest in Ancient Egypt, sometimes called “Egyptomania,” which was revitalized in 1922 when Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb. Wealthy Westerners flocked to Egypt as vacationers or amateur archaeologists, bringing back both antiquities and forgeries.
This case features a selection of scarabs, an insect that featured in Ancient Egyptian art as a symbol of the sun and regeneration. Their simple form allowed for creation in a variety of sizes and materials. It is unclear if any of the original owners of the objects in this case purchased the scarabs knowing that they were modern reproductions or forgeries rather than true antiquities. Can you tell which is which?
From the 2025 exhibition Stone, Sand, and Clay: Connecting Cultures in the Ancient Mediterranean, curated by Ashley B. Offill, Curator of Collections
Course History
ANTH 12.5, Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Virginia Herrmann, Winter 2014
ANTH 12.5, Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Virginia Herrmann, Winter 2014
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Spring 2015
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Spring 2015
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Spring 2015
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Spring 2015
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Fall 2019
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Fall 2019
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Fall 2019
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Fall 2019
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman, Fall 2019
REL 55, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Susan Ackerman - INDEPENDENT VIEWING, Fall 2019
Art History 10.03, Middle Eastern Studies 16.42, Art in Egypt, Steven Kangas, Spring 2024
Art History 10.03, Middle Eastern Studies 16.42, Art in Egypt, Steven Kangas, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
Egyptian Antiquities at Dartmouth, Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 12, 2011-August 13, 2012.
Stone, Sand, and Clay: Connecting Cultures in the Ancient Mediterranean, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 7, 2025 - Ongoing
The Age of the Marvelous, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 21- November 24, 1991; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina, January 25- March 22, 1992; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, May 24- August 25, 1992; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, October 6, 1992- January 3, 1993, naturalia no. n156.
Provenance
Found in the collection; catalogued, 1913.
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