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Egyptian Artifacts

The Heart and Heart Scarab

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

Since itโ€™s Valentineโ€™s Day, letโ€™s talk about the Heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ in ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–! Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at the Heart Scarab! This particular Heart Scarab at the Brooklyn Museum is so cool because it is actually in the shape of a heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ instead of a Scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ. The term โ€œHeart Scarabโ€ is a modern one used by archaeologists! 

In ancient Egyptian culture, the heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ was not only the center of a personโ€™s life ๐“‹น, but also thinking, memory, and moral values. The heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ was not removed during the mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž process, because the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ person would need it on their journey through the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. 

The personโ€™s heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ would be weighed against Maatโ€™s ๐“™๐“Œด๐“‚ฃ๐“๐“ฆ feather ๐“†„๐“บ by Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ, and that would determine if the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ would be presented to Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ and then enter the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š–, or eternal ๐“†– life ๐“‹น. This was called the โ€œWeighing of the Heart,โ€ย  or the โ€œJudgement of Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ.โ€ย 

Heart Scarab
Two Heart Scarabs in the shape of a heart, with Chapter 30B of the Book of the Dead inscribed on it.

So how does the Heart Scarab play into this? In modern terms, the Heart Scarab could be seen as a โ€œcheat codeโ€ for getting past the โ€œWeighing of the Heartโ€ – most are inscribed with the spell ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“› from Chapter 30B from the Book of the Dead. In this spell ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“›, the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ asks their own heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ to not betray them during the โ€œWeighing of the Heart.โ€ 

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 30B from the Papyrus of Ani: โ€œO my heart of different ages! Do not stand up as a witness against me, do not be opposed to me in the tribunal, do not be hostile to me in the presence of the keeper of the balance, for you are my ka which was in my body, the protector who made my members hale.โ€ 

Basically, the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช feared the outcome of their final judgement so they developed this amulet ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…† as a way to ensure a positive outcome to the scales!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Scarabs of Thutmosis III

Look at all ๐“ŽŸ of these scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช!ย 

Scarabs of Thutmosis III

I love these displays at the MET because they have all ๐“ŽŸ of the scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช grouped by the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the pharaoh that is inscribed on them! These scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช contain the throne name of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด! I also love tiny things, so these displays are some of my favorites! 

The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ is the personification is the god ๐“Šน Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“›. The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช were said to be the most powerful of amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช because the the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช believed that the dung beetle (which the scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ was fashioned after) was capable of eternal regeneration. 

The god ๐“Šน Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“› symbolizes a โ€œlife cycleโ€ – birth ๐“„Ÿ, death ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ, and then rebirth ๐“„Ÿ๐“ฟ๐“…ฑ in the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. This cycle was essential to Egyptian religious beliefs, as Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช spent their lives preparing for death ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ and entering the Duat ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰ (afterlife).ย 

Scarabs of Thutmosis III
Can you see the throne name (๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ) and variant of Thutmosis III’s throne name (๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“) in the picture?

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! 

The most common throne name spelling for Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด is โ€œMenkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ.โ€ The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ translates to โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of Ra.โ€

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“  – Lasting

๐“†ฃ – Manifestation

One of Thutmosis IIIโ€™s throne name variants appears on one of the scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช- it is rare to see this variant! This throne name variant is โ€œMenkhepperkara ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“โ€ which translates to โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of the Soul of Ra.โ€ I love seeing the variants!ย 

Scarabs of Thutmosis III
Can you spot any of the words in the text below in the picture above?

There are some other common phrases that accompany the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“ on these little scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช! See if you can spot them in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“: 

๐“ŽŸ – Lord of/Everything/All

๐“Šน๐“„ค – The Perfect God 

๐“™๐“‹น – Given Life

๐“†– – Eternity

๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands

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Egyptian Artifacts

Large Scarab at the British Museum

This is definitely the largest scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ that I have ever seen!ย  I was shocked when I saw just how big it was in the British Museum! I have honestly never seen anything like it in any of the other museums I have visited!

This scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ represented Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“€ญ. Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“€ญ the god ๐“Šน that was associated with the โ€œrising of the sun ๐“…ƒ๐“ˆŒ๐“๐“ญ๐“€ญโ€ (these hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช translate to โ€œsun at dawnโ€) and thus he is associated with life ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“ and rebirth. Scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช were extremely popular as amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช, and were considered to have the strongest ๐“„‡๐“๐“‚๐“ญ protection ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ powers. 

The โ€œscarab beetle ๐“†ฃโ€ hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ symbol is a determinative, ideogram and phonogram symbol! It is associated with the sound แธซpr (like โ€œKheperโ€) is also used to write the words “evolve,โ€ โ€œmanifestation,โ€ and “become.”

From a geologic perspective, this scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ is made of the rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™ diorite.  Diorite is an intrusive igneous rock (meaning it forms underground from the solidification of magma). Diorite is an extremely durable rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™ (one of the strongest found on Earth ๐“‡พ๐“‡พ), and is comparable to granite ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ˆ–๐“Œณ๐“ฟ in terms of strength and method of formation.  

However, diorite usually doesn’t contain a lot quartz ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Œ๐“ˆ™, a very strong ๐“„‡๐“๐“‚๐“ญ mineral which is abundant in granite ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ˆ–๐“Œณ๐“ฟ, hence the difference between the two ๐“ป rocks ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“ฆ. One of the reasons why this scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ is so well preserved, is probably due to the strength of the diorite!  Diorite, like granite ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ˆ–๐“Œณ๐“ฟ, was usually mined by the Egyptians in Aswan ๐“‹ด๐“ƒน๐“ˆ–๐“Œ๐“ฒ๐“Œ•๐“Š–

As you all know, ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– is one of my biggest passions, however I actually have degrees in Earth and Environmental science! I love combining my passions for Egyptian history and geology together ๐“ˆ–๐“Š—! 

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Heart Scarab

This special amuletย ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†ย is known as a Heart Scarab! This particular Heart Scarab belonged to Hatneferย ๐“„‚๐“„ค๐“, who was the motherย ๐“…๐“๐“ย of Senemutย ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ผ! Senemutย ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ผย was Hatshepsutโ€™sย ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ชย most trusted advisor (amongst other things ๐Ÿ˜‰)!ย 

Heart Scarab of Hatnefer at the MET

In ancient Egyptian culture, the heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ was not only the center of a personโ€™s life ๐“‹น, but also thinking, memory, and moral values. The heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ was not removed during the mummification process, because the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ person would need it on their journey through the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. The personโ€™s heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ would be weighed against Maatโ€™s ๐“™๐“Œด๐“‚ฃ๐“๐“ฆ feather ๐“†„๐“บ by Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ, and that would determine if the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ would be presented to Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ and then enter the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š–, or eternal ๐“†– life ๐“‹น. This was called the โ€œWeighing of the Heart,โ€ and it is something I have written extensively about!

So how does the Heart Scarab play into this? In modern terms, the Heart Scarab could be seen as a โ€œcheat codeโ€ for getting past the โ€œWeighing of the Heartโ€ – this special scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ is inscribed ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– with Chapter 30A from the Book of the Dead (most are inscribed with Chapter 30B). In this spell, the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ asks their own heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ to not betray them during the โ€œWeighing of the Heart.โ€ 

Basically, the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช feared the outcome of their final judgement so they developed this amulet ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…† as a way to ensure a positive outcome to the scales!

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 30A: โ€œ Do not stand against me as witness beside the lords of the ritual, Do not say against me, he did do it, about my actions, Do not make a case against me beside the great god, Hail my heart, Hail my heartโ€ฆโ€

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Egyptian Artifacts

More Scarabs of Hatshepsut

The MET was an integral part of the excavations of Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ at Deir el-Bahri. During the 1926-1927 dig season, 299 scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช and stamp seals were discovered near the eastern wall of the temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰. Scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช were symbols of regeneration and rebirth.

On the scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“, are various inscriptions ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ with every title/name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Hatshepsut has ever held. These three ๐“ผ scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช have her birth name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– inscribed ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช. Her birth name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– cartouche translates to โ€œUnited with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women.โ€

If we were to only write the part that translates only to โ€œHatshepsut,โ€ her cartouche would look like this: (๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช). Why is Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ mentioned in her name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–? By adding Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ– to her name, she directly linked herself to the god ๐“Šน Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–. She claimed that Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ was her father ๐“‡‹๐“๐“€€, thus justifying her right to rule.

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Scarab Amulets of Hatshepsut

Scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช are some of the most abundant items excavated in Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– and I love them! I think theyโ€™re cute, but they also hold a lot of meaning for the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช. Scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช were symbols of regeneration and rebirth, which was one of the main aspects of the religion.

The hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช on these two ๐“ป scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช, while at first glance may look very similar but actually mean different things!

Scarab Amulets of Hatshepsut at the MET

The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ on the left says โ€œ๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“‚“โ€ which translates to โ€œLord of the two lands, Maatkare.โ€ The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ on the right says โ€œ๐“ŽŸ๐“๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“‚“โ€ which translates to โ€œLady of the two lands, Maatkare.โ€ When a โ€œ๐“โ€ glyph is added to words, it makes the word feminine.

While a very tiny difference, it is interesting because one of the misconceptions about Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช I see a lot was that she was โ€œtrying to be a manโ€ – she wasnโ€™t trying to be a man ๐“Šƒ๐“€€๐“ค, she was just traditionally representing herself as pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป, as all other pharaohs did. The pharaonic representations just tended to have male characteristics because most pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ were men. Most of her art contains the feminine form of titles in the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช, which is why I find these two ๐“ป scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช interesting. Itโ€™s not common to see her use the male form of words/titles.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Scarabs of Hatshepsut

Here are some more scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช of Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช from the MET! The MET has so many of these beautiful ๐“„ค scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช and I honestly love looking at them! I really like tiny things, so scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช and other amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช are some of my favorite pieces to see in museums!

These two ๐“ป scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช both show Hatshepsutโ€™s throne name Maatkare ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“‚“ in between the Red Crown of Lower Egypt ๐“‚ง๐“ˆ™๐“‚‹๐“๐“‹”. The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Maatkare ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“‚“ translates to โ€œTruth is the Soul of Ra.โ€

The Red Crown ๐“‚ง๐“ˆ™๐“‚‹๐“๐“‹” is also known as the Deshret, which can also translate to โ€œred land ๐“… ๐“‚‹๐“๐“ˆŠ.โ€ The word Deshret ๐“… ๐“‚‹๐“๐“ˆŠ referred to both the crown (๐“‚ง๐“ˆ™๐“‚‹๐“๐“‹”) and the desert (๐“… ๐“‚‹๐“๐“ˆŠ) on either side of the Nile ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ. While the words are written differently in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช, they are pronounced the same.

The fertile soil along the Nile ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ was referred to as Kemet ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–, or โ€œblack land.โ€

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Marriage Scarab and Senet

I love this display at the Brooklyn Museum because itโ€™s so blue ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“๐“„ฟ๐“ธ๐“ฅ – blue ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“๐“„ฟ๐“ธ๐“ฅ is my favorite color (and it was a favorite of the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช too – for various religious reasons)! Both of these pieces are dated to the reign of Amenhotep III ๐“‡ณ๐“ง๐“Ž  (Dynasty 18).

The first piece is a scarab ๐“†ฃ that is known as a โ€œMarriage Scarab,โ€ even though it doesnโ€™t mention marriage! During his reign ๐“‹พ, Amenhotep III ๐“‡ณ๐“ง๐“Ž  commissioned the production of her 200 ๐“ฒ๐“ฒ scarabs ๐“†ฃ๐“†ฃ๐“†ฃ that recorded important events. Fifty-six ๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“ฟ of the scarabs ๐“†ฃ๐“†ฃ๐“†ฃ, like this one pictured, contained information such as Amenhotep IIIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“ง๐“Ž  complete list of names/titles, the boundaries of the empire and Queen Tiyeโ€™s official names and titles/the names of her parents. The mention of Queen Tiye and her relation to Amenhotep III ๐“‡ณ๐“ง๐“Ž  is what led Egyptologists to call these the โ€œmarriage scarabs.โ€

Senet ๐“Šƒ๐“๐“ˆ–๐“  is the worldโ€™s oldest board game – thereโ€™s evidence of its existence all the way back to the First Dynasty (though this particular board is dated c. 1390-1353 B.C.E.). During the New Kingdom, the game represented the journey of the Ka ๐“‚“ (soul) to the afterlife/Duat ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. The word โ€œSenetโ€ ๐“Šƒ๐“๐“ˆ–๐“  actually means passage or gateway! If you look really closely, you can see details of the Djed Pillar ๐“Šฝ and the Tyet ๐“Žฌ (Isis Knot) painted on the sides!

Senet ๐“Šƒ๐“๐“ˆ–๐“  is still a game that can be played today, though some of the rules are debatable! I find it so interesting that board games have been around for so long in history! Some things a about humanity have not changed!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Scarab Amulets

The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ is the personification is the god ๐“Šน Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“›. The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช were said to be the most powerful of amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช because the the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช believed that the dung beetle (which the scarab was fashioned after) was capable of eternal regeneration. Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“› was considered to be the god ๐“Šน of the morning sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ, and was usually depicted as a scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ, or as a human body with a scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ for a head ๐“ถ๐“บ! Due to his ties with the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ, Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“› was considered to be an aspect of the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ god ๐“Šน Ra ๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“›!

The god ๐“Šน Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“› symbolizes a โ€œlife cycleโ€ – birth, death, and then rebirth in the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. This cycle was essential to Egyptian religious beliefs, as Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช spent their lives preparing for death ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ and entering the Duat ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰ (afterlife).

One of the best things about the MET are these little galleries that are offshoots of the main galleries – there are some real treasures (such as this scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ display) hidden away here! Honestly I love these little galleries more than the main areas – itโ€™s almost like having a private museum!

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Cartouche of Seti I

A wooden Ushabti and Scarabs that contain the cartouche of Seti I (The MET)

These are pieces that contain the cartouche of Seti I ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“ ! There is a wooden ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ and a bunch of scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช – some of my favorite types of artifacts!

One of my favorite things to see in museums are the wooden ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ figures of Seti I ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“ . While only about 700 ๐“ฒ๐“ฒ๐“ฒ๐“ฒ๐“ฒ๐“ฒ๐“ฒ of these wooden ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ figures remain, it is estimated that Seti I ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“  had over 1000 ๐“†ผ of them. What happened to the ones that are missing? They were used for firewood when Belzoni was excavating the tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰!

My Nonno frequently told me about this – he was not happy that artifacts were destroyed! Anytime Seti I ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“  came up in conversation (which was often because he was one of my Nonnoโ€™s favorite pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ) my Nonno would say โ€œcan you believe some idiots used his ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ as torches??!!โ€

Seti Iโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“  remaining ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ are in museums throughout the world ๐“‡พ๐“‡พ and I have always been on the lookout for them whenever I go to a museum! Originally, my Nonno and I would always point them out to each other. Now whenever I see them, they are a reminder of my Nonno.