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February 2010.

I have recently acquired this interesting steatite scarab (in my own collection now).

Not easy to make a full reading.

 

 






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The only similar scarab I can find is this one.

 

In  Egyptian Scarabs and Magical Gems from the Collection of Constantine Smhmidt-Ciazynski by Joachim Slawa.

 





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Not very helpful! And as you see  the fallen man has been misread as the solar bardc of Amun.

 

If anyone has a copy of ...

Skarabaen und andere Siegelamulette aus Basler Sammlungen By Erik von Hornung und Elisabeth Staehelin.  Mainz : Verlag von Zabern, c1976.

 

..I would,be really appreciative if you could send me detials of this reference there.  In fact if you know of a  copy for sale  anywhere......

 

The best I can do at the moment is:

 



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But friendly and expert help is at hand!

From Franco M.

 

 



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From Gary

 

-       The delta hieroglyphs: these can also be for the inundation dependant on context and surrounding hieroglyphs.

-       The hieroglyphs for the smiting of the enemy: the man who has fallen normally is shown with his legs together- the one on the scarab tends to look like he is swimming? ( However there is no determinative shown in Gardiner et al for a person swimming.

-       The crocodile- below the man swimming( as I call it J ) intrigues me; it has a variety of translations, such as aggressive, greedy ( Gardiner p.475). However the surrounding hieroglyphs do not confirm these translations.

 


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From Mark

March '10

 

This scarab of yours is really interesting, as I have a  damaged copy of a similar or simplified version of this inscription on one of mine,  which I vaguely think I got from you !

 

 

I have not made as much progress with your scarab (or with my version of it) as I would like, and  the best I can come up with at the moment by comparison between these two and with Newberry Pl. XXXIX, no.36:  (below)

 

 

 

 


Newberry Pl. XXXIX, no.36

 

I read  nb ntrw  Sm'w T3-mhw   [....] nb [...] phty shrt* 3 sobk

 

And translate:    [To] the lord of the gods, [lord of] Upper and Lower Egypt,  [2 signs like a pair of ears/fingers/croissants, neb, perhaps fully written with walking legs determinative too ?] [sign like a tadpole?* I read the prone human figure as sign A17.

 

 

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M

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