Egyptian Turquoise Glazed Steatite Scaraboid with Royal Title
$543.07
An Egyptian, turquoise-glazed steatite scaraboid with a decorated reverse. The reverse features a set of four hieroglyphs, possibly indicating a royal title. The largest of the three signs is an insect, depicting a bee. It has large oval wings and a segmented body. To its right is a stylised, floral hieroglyph, known as a sedge plant. To the left of the bee is a small, round sun disc. Together these signs refer to the ‘nswt-bjtj’ title of the pharaoh, or King of Upper and Lower Egypt. The literal translation would ‘He of the Sedge and the Bee’. The last sign is a ‘neb’ basket sign, acting as a filler hieroglyph to fill the decorative space. An incised border encircles the hieroglyphs.
The sedge and bee emblem was a powerful symbol in Pharaonic Egypt. The two signs were combined from the First Dynasty and used to represent the prenomen of the pharaoh and thus denote the unification of rule over Upper and Lower Egypt. The sedge plant referred to Upper Egypt and the bee was associated with Lower Egypt. The prenomen was the first of the five royal titles to appear surrounded by a cartouche.
