A steatite scarab with modelled carapace and legs folded to the side of the body; pierced for suspension. To the underside is a figure of a striding horse and hieroglyphs which read 'Perfect god, Lord of the Two Lands'
 
Third Intermediate Period: Circa 1070 - 664 BC.
 
Condition: Very Fine.
Length 15.2 mms (0.6 ins).
 
Provenance: Purchased during the Second World War by Major G.A.D Gordon (Royal Army Medical Corps) from Sayad Molattam, a dealer in antiquities based at Luxor Hotel Street, Luxor, licenced by the Egyptian Museum Cairo. Accompanied by a copy of the Molattam card. Mr Gordon's personal war diaries, which are now held in the Museum of Military Medicine in Aldershot, date his stay in Luxor from the 21st of February to the 1st of March 1942.
 
In Ancient Egypt, horses were not used for labour, but were a symbol of royal power. It is with the introduction of the horse by the Hyksos that chariots also make an appearance, used mainly for war and royal processions, as seen on the reliefs from Amarna.
 
For similar see The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, accession number 76.31.3143