Steatite scarabs were the most common type of seal amulets in Egypt and the southern Levant during the 2nd millennium BCE. Past scholarship attempted to create criteria for the identification of Egyptian vs. Canaanite scarabs, emphasizing mostly their typological and iconographic features, while other aspects of their production have largely been disregarded. This article examines…
An Egyptian Private-Name Scarab Impression on a Clay Sealing from the City of David
A tiny fragment of a clay sealing impressed by an Egyptian scarab was unearthed in 2014 during excavations by the Tel Aviv University at the City of David. The legible hieroglyphs form part of an inscription that provided the name and title of the seal owner, most likely a dignitary from the time of the…
Amulets in Context: A View from Late Bronze Age Tel Azekahs
JAEI 9 This paper presents evidence for the function of Egyptian amulets in daily life at Late Bronze Age Tel Azekah. The finding of the remains of two individuals in a destroyed Late Bronze Age building along with clusters of Egyptian scarabs and figurative amulets indicates that these artifacts were their personal belongings. It is…