Historical Context
Scarabs of the Late Bronze Age generally correspond to the Eighteenth and and Nineteenth Egyptian Dynasties, when the Hyksos were no longer in power. The primary use of scarabs during the Middle Bronze Age had been as seals, often with royal names on them. During the Late Bronze, scarabs came to be used more as amulets and less as seals, although some still had royal names inscribed on them. As amulets, the scarabs were thought to bring good luck to the wearer, and some have luck-related inscriptions or wishes; others are decorated with flora and fauna, spirals and scrolls, and human representations. Even scarabs that were used as seals were also amuletic (Hall, 5). Luck-related inscriptions began to appear in this period and often contain the name of the god Amon (or Amon-Re), as well as Ptah and Bastet, all of whom were popularly worshipped in different cities. These wishes were associated not with the funerary cult but with daily life, where amulets were supposed to bring protection and fulfillment of wishes, hopes and desires (Ben-Tor, 34). Figures of the gods also appear for the first time on Late Bronze amulets, sometimes in conjunction with the names of gods or kings for added potency (Ben-Tor, 35). Spirals had been very common in the Middle Kingdom and continued through the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Dynasties. The same is true of emblems of royalty including the Sphinx. Floral designs, particularly lilies, made their appearance and became very popular in the 18th Dynasty, while the use of official or noble names declined in this period. Inscriptions and wishes for good luck are evident in all periods, but were certainly on the rise in the Late Bronze. Other common designs that were at their peak or were initiated during the Late Bronze were representations of the gods (especially the sun gods) and of the king in his chariot or being carried in a palanquin (Hall, 6).
Particularly common in the Late Bronze were the modified scarabs and their variations: scaraboids, cowroids, and plaques. A scaraboid is a modified scarab with an engraved base and a plain or impressed back, sometimes in various animal shapes. A cowroid is a combination of a scarab and a lentoid bead, Òoriginally made in imitation of the form of a cowry-shellÉ.[and] inscribed in the same way as the Scarab and ScaraboidÓ (Hall, 3). Plaques are rectangular amulets inscribed in the same manner as seal-scarabs (Hall, 3). Whereas glazed (usually blue- green) steatite scarabs were the rule during the earlier periods, red stones such as carnelian, red jasper, and sard became fashionable during the 18th Dynasty, in addition to yellow jasper at the end of that dynasty. Other common materials at this time were green jasper, quartz crystal, chalcedony (mainly popular in Mesopotamia), and some lapis. Green and pale blue faience scarabs became newly characteristic in the 18th Dynasty. Metal scarabs are quite rare, although there is some speculation that gold ones were made during the 18th Dynasty and have long since been melted down (Hall, 10-12).
Archaeological Context
The archaeological record reveals certain types of scarabs quite specific to the Late Bronze Period, particularly the Eighteenth Dynasty. The most distinctive types are heart scarabs and commemorative scarabs. Heart scarabs, associated with the funerary cult, existed during the Middle Bronze period but became much more common around the 18th Dynasty. These were made of green jasper or other green stones, and had gold frames with gold wire loops and gold strips on the backs. Usually they are found in the mummy wrappings, but with the gold loops missing. Royal heart scarabs were often set into pectorals, which were chest ornaments worn as amulets. Inscriptions on these scarabs include the names of the deceased individuals and parts of funerary spells (Ben- Tor, 17-18). Commemorative scarabs constitute the collection of more than 200 scarabs issued by Amenhotep III. The fact that these scarabs have been found in Egypt, Canaan, and Nubia seems to indicate that they were announcements meant to glorify the king, and that they were sent to outlying provinces for this purpose. They have inscriptions that are generally 8-16 lines long. They are grouped into five sets based on the events they describe: marriage scarabs (64 known); wild bull hunt scarabs (4); lion hunt scarabs (137); scarabs of the Mitannian Princess Gilukhepa (6); and artificial lake scarabs (11) (Ben-Tor, 21-22).
Names are sometimes used to help date the archaeological context in which scarabs are found, especially those found in Palestine (Ben-Tor, 30). The name of the conqueror Thutmase III of the 18th Dynasty appears very frequently on scarabs of his own time and long afterwards through the last known scarabs, because his name was associated with good luck (Hall, 12-13). Amenhotep III and Rameses II are also mentioned on royal scarab inscriptions in large numbers. These are part of a general abundance of 18th-19th Dynasty Egyptian artifacts, which might be attributed to the fact that the Hittites were gaining power in the region around this time and the Egyptian pharaohs were trying to cement their grasp on Canaan (Ben-Tor, 30). The names on the scarabs are useful to archaeologists trying to date large assemblages. Excavations of the Late Bronze Age city of Ain Shems, Stratum IV, has been aided by the abundance of scarabs, indicating heavy Egyptian influence during this period, and by the dating that is possible from the specific scarabs found. These include marriage scarabs of Amenophis III and scarabs of Rameses I and II (Grant and Wright, V, 35). Based on the scarabs, Elihu Grant and G. Ernest Wright have dated Stratum IVb to roughly 1350-1150 BCE (Grant and Wright,V, 45). Plate LI numbers 12, 18, and 23 are scarabs of Thutmose III; numbers 22 and 31 are of Amenophis III; number 21, Rameses I; number 40, a compound of Seti I and Rameses II; number 24, Rameses II; and number 42, Rameses III (Grant and Wright, V, 45). Of the scarabs from Ain Shems, the good-luck, wish-fulfillment trend of including the name and/or figure of the god Amon-Ra appears in scarabs 9, 20, 25, 28, and 36. Occasionally the deity appears in the form of a solar disk as part of a design. Seated deities appear on numbers 10, 33 and 43. Winged serpents and sphinxes are quite common, as are a multitude of other flora and fauna (Grant and Wright, II, 88). Commemorative scarabs do not appear in this particular assemblage, but a good example comes from Tel Lachish, where we find a lion hunt scarab without specific mention of the pharaoh's name (Ussishkin, 45).
To summarize, continuity from the MB Period is overshadowed by the main innovations of the Late Bronze Period: amuletic uses for scarabs, commemorative scarabs, good-luck inscriptions of all sorts, and scarab variants such as scaraboids. The names of pharaohs are primary aids in dating scarabs from this period.
Bibliography
Ben-Tor, Daphna. The Scarab: A Reflection of Ancient Egypt. Jerusalem:
The Israel Museum, 1989.
Grant, Elihu, and G. Ernest Wright. Ain Shems Excavations 1928-1931,
Part II, Biblical and Kindred Studies No. 8. Haverford, PA: Haverford
College, 1939.
Grant, Elihu, and G. Ernest Wright. Ain Shems Excavations (Palestine),
Part V, Biblical and Kindred Studies No. 8. Haverford, PA: Haverford
College, 1939.
Hall, H. R. Scarabs. London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1929.
Ussishkin, David. Excavations at Tel Lachish, 1973-1977: Preliminary
Report. Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University Institute of Archaeology, 1978.