Here is another example of steatite ๐ ฎ๐๐๐๐ scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช from the Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐/Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ era of the 18th Dynasty! These scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!
Before we read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, letโs โreadโ the geology! I always tell my students that rocks ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ are the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช of the Earth ๐พ๐พ, and rocks ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ are the language of our planet!
Most scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช from this time period are made of a metamorphic rock ๐๐๐๐ called steatite ๐ ฎ๐๐๐๐ which is also commonly known as soapstone. Simply put, steatite ๐ ฎ๐๐๐๐ is made when the mineral ๐๐ป๐๐ ฑ๐ talc is exposed to tremendous amounts of heat and pressure at subduction zones (areas where oceanic crust sinks beneath continental crust). Steatite ๐ ฎ๐๐๐๐ has been used by ancient civilizations all over the world for carving because it is both durable and easy to work with!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
These scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช contain the shorter variant of Hatshepsutโs birth name cartouche. Hatshepsutโs full name is โ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช United with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women,โ but thatโs not what appears on the scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช because itโs too long! Letโs take a look:
๐๐ – Foremost (Hat)
๐ผ๐๐ช – Noble Women (Shepsut)
So Hatshepsutโs name ๐๐ variant on the scarab translates to โForemost of the Noble Women.โ
The Egyptians were very clever with spacing too – if you look at the scarab ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ at the bottom of the picture, the โ๐โ is shared between the ๐ and ๐ผ glyphs!ย I will forever be impressed by. the ingenuity of the Egyptian artists!
Read Part II Here!
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.