2000 BC ANCIENT EGYPTIAN KING OF THE GODS STONE SCARAB WITH NAME OF AMUN-RA

• THE HOLY GRAIL OF EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS: This ancient Egyptian hand-carved stone scarab with stylized anatomical detailing features the name of Amun-Ra, king of the Egyptian gods, inscribed on the base.
• Inscribed on the base are numerous geometric designs that incorporate the name Amun-Ra.
• This is a rare opportunity to own an important piece of ancient Egyptian history from the 2nd millennium B.C.
• Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, remained the only oracle of Amun throughout.Initially possibly one of eight deities in the Hermapolite creation myth, his worship expanded. After the rebellion of Thebes against the Hyksos and with the rule of Ahmose I (16th century BC), Amun acquired national importance, expressed in his fusion with the Sun god, Ra, as Amun-Ra. On his own, he was also thought to be the king of the gods.Amun-Ra retained chief importance in the Egyptian pantheon throughout the New Kingdom. Amun-Ra in this period (16th–11th centuries BC) held the position of transcendental, self-created creator deity ``par excellence``; he was the champion of the poor or troubled and central to personal piety. With Osiris, Amun-Ra is the most widely recorded of the Egyptian gods.As the chief deity of the Egyptian Empire, Amun-Ra also came to be worshiped outside Egypt, according to the testimony of ancient Greek historiographers in Libya and Nubia. As Zeus Ammon and Jupiter Ammon, he came to be identified with Zeus in Greece and Jupiter in Rome.
• Stone scarabs such as this piece are beetle-shaped amulets which were popular throughout ancient Egypt. Through their inscriptions and typology, they prove to be an important source of information for archaeologists and historians of the ancient world, and represent a significant body of ancient Egyptian art.Scarabs were typically carved in the form of a scarab beetle with varying degrees of naturalism. The base are sometimes inscribed with designs or hieroglyphs. They were usually drilled from end to end to allow them to be strung on a thread. Stone scarabs such as this piece are displayed in several museums around the world such as The Egyptian Museum of Cairo, The Metropolitan Museum of Art , The British Museum and The Louvre.
• Dated to the 2nd millennium B.C. (2000 - 1001 B.C.)
• Size: 16mm x 11mm x 6mm
• Provenance: From the private collection of a reputable collector, Sydney, NSW, Australia, acquired from a prestigious collection in London, United Kingdom.
• Literature: Petrie, W.M.F., Scarabs and Cylinders with Names, London, 1917, pl. XIX, no. 1471, for a scarab with a similarly themed motif.
• Condition: This piece is extremely well preserved and remains in excellent condition. Both the engraved scarab detailing and the engraved text are still clear and defined - refer images.
• Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Internationally recognized BidSafe authentication and verification number: 1619908-6)
• Inspected and verified by an archaeologist and prominent historical author with a PhD in archaeology. (SN:1619908-6) (325607-1)

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