W. M. Flinders Petrie. Scarabs and cylinders with names: illustrated by the Egyptian collection in University College, London (London, 1917)
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BRITISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT AND EGYPTIAN RESEARCH ACCOUNT TWENTY-FIRST YEAR, 1915
AND CYLINDERS
WITH NAMES
ILLUSTRATED BY THE EGYPTIAN COLLECTION IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON
BY
W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION (See below)
1. Scope of the volume
2. Extent of the subject
3. Veneration for the beetle
4. Ideas connected with it
5. The use of the scarab
6. Literary references to it
7. Amulet and seal
8. Varieties of treatment
9. Five genera copied
10. Classification of backs
11. Range of types
12. Range of small details
13. Locality of smooth backs
14. System of using the types
15. Glazing
16. Stones used
17. Glass and paste
18. Cutting soft materials
19. History of wheel cutting
20. History of point graving
21. A corpus provided here
22. Classes of types
23. Primitive concept of writing
24. The first four dynasties
25. The Vth dynasty
26. The VIth dynasty
27. The VIIth - IXth dynasties
28. Hardstone scarabs, Xth and XIth
29. The XIth dynasty
30. Little proof of re-issues
31. Characteristics of periods
32. The Antec V group
33. The Ka-nefer-uah group
34. Fixtures between Xth - VIth dynasties
35. The Unas group
36. The Vth - VIIIrd dynasty group
37. Summary
38. Rise of the XIIth dynasty
39. Re-issuc of Senubcrt III
40. Private scarabs, scrolls
41. Ur res moba title
42. Maot kheru etc
43. Notes on peculiar scarabs
44. Private scarabs, borderless
45. Dating of private scarabs
46. The XIIIth dynasty
47. The XIVth dynasty
48. Doubtful names
49. The XVth dynasty, Hyksos
50. The XVIth dynasty, Hyksos
51. The XVIIth dynasty
52. The early XVIIIth dynasty
53. Hotshepsut and Tehutmes III
54. Amenhetep II and Tehutmes IV
55. Amenhetep III
56. The Aten episode
57. Sety I and Ramessu II
58. The close of the XIXth dynasty
59. The XXth dynasty
60. Heart scarabs
61. The XXIst dynasty
62. The XXIInd dynasty Uscr-maot-ra kincrs
63. Early XXIVth dynasty
64. Vassal kings
65. Later XXVth dynasty
66. Rise of the Saites
67. The XXVIth dynasty
68. The Persian age
69. Close of the scarab
70. Greeks and Romans
71. Late private scarabs and seals
Index to text
I-LVIII. Plates of scarabs, and pages of Catalogue
LIX-LXXIII. Plates of backs of scarabs
SYSTEM OF THE CATALOGUE
The current description of the plates, and discussion of the materials.
The HISTORICAL Index, and general census of scarabs in the principal collections.
The TEXT Index.
The PRIVATE NAMES Index (lithograph).
The TITLES INDEX (lithograph).
The CATALOGUE plates and description of all early cylinders accessible, and of all scarabs with names in University College.
The TYPES OF BACKS of scarabs.
The order of the scarabs under each king is (i) Falcon name; (2) Nebti name;
(3) Hor-nubti name; (4) Throne name with phrases, or with titles, or plain, proceeding from the longest to the simplest ; (5) Personal name in similar order. Other objects with names follow after the scarabs under each person. Private scarabs, etc., are placed as nearly as may be in their historic position. Heart scarabs are all together between the 20th and 21st dynasties. The system of numbering is not continuous throughout, as that does not indicate the period at sight. Each object has the number of the dynasty, the king, and of the object under that king. Thus i8-6-23 is the 18th dynasty, 6th king (Tehutmes III), and his 23rd scarab. The drawings of scarabs outside of this collection are only inserted to complete the series, and are not numbered or catalogued. The colour stated is the original colour wherever any part of it can be found, regardless of the general change in such cases. The letter and number after the colour refer to the types of backs. In the plates of backs LIX—LXXIII the references below each drawing are the dynasty, king, and number, as above stated. Where there is more than one reference, the underlined reference is the source of the drawing, which the others resemble. The top number of each drawing is that of the type, and is used with the type letter of the class for reference in the Catalogue pages. Occasionally two drawings have the same number when the type is alike, and they only differ in work.
References are made to the following works:
Hall, H. R., Catalogue of Egyptian Scarabs, etc., in the British Museum, 1913.
Newberry, Percy E., Scarab-shaped Seals (Cairo Catalogue), 1907.
Newberry, Percy E. , Scarabs, 1906.
Ward, John, The Sacred Beetle, 1902.
Frazer, George, A Catalogue of Scarabs, 1900 (now in Munich).
The Golenisheff Collection (photographs privately issued).
Petrie, W. M. F., Historical Scarabs, 1889.
ERRATA IN PLATES.
xix, 4th line: I to be under first of Queen Ana.
xxxvi, 6th line : Names of the Aten begin at 45
liv, 3rd line: 13 to be I ; i to be 2 ; 2 to be 3, 4 ; 4 to be 5 ; $ to be 6.
INTRODUCTION
1. Scope of the volume
2. Extent of the subject
1. The little amulets of beetle form, which are the most usual production of Egyptian art, have fascinated the amateur collector for a century past, but have not yet fully received the scientific attention which is due to them. The most obviously interesting class of them are those with names of kings, of the royal family, and of officials. These carry with them in most cases a dating, which fixes their historical position. They stand thus to Egyptian history much as coins stand in relation to Western history. They often add historical matter which is otherwise lost to us; and the style of their art and manufacture serves as an index to the changes which went on in the civilization. In the present volume we only deal with the scarabs —at University College—which bear names; and to these are added the cylinders, plaques, and other small objects with names, as they are closely similar in work, and stand on the same footing. In another volume the scarabs of other kinds will be dealt with; but their dating must depend mainly on comparison with the styles of those here described.
2. At first sight it might be supposed that the subject was boundless, when looking at the hundreds of scarabs that he in the Cairo shops. But this is far from being the case. The named scarabs are only a small proportion of the whole, and the greater part of those are of Thothmes III. Any one can form a collection of that king's scarabs in a year or two, as readily as of coins of Constantine, and very few of them would be of any interest. To acquire the variety of different periods, and the rarer names, needs a very long search. When I first went to Egypt I used to buy about a hundred name-scarabs each year, and only included those of Thothmes III which were of interest. Latterly about thirty each year is all that I can get that are worth having. So far from the subject being boundless, there are only about 300 different kings and royal relatives who are thus commemorated on scarabs, cylinders, and seals. Of that 300, there are at University College over 240 different royal persons, about 150 at the British Museum, about 90 in Paris, 70 in Cairo, and various minor selections in other museums. Thus the collection here described is by far the most varied in its range; and in order to make the view more complete, drawings are here inserted of the scarabs, cylinders, etc., of persons not represented in this collection.
Turning to the total numbers of scarabs, cylinders, rings, and plaques with royal names, the limits of the subject are also well in view. Apart from the overwhelming commonness of Thothmes Ill's objects, there are rather over 5,000 named objects in all the public collections together. Of these there are over 1,600 in this collection; the same in the British Museum, about 300 in Paris, and fewer in Cairo and elsewhere. Practically a third are here, a third in Bloomsbury, and a third in all the rest of the museums. Thus the subject is quite within reach, and can be dealt with tolerably completely, with this catalogue and that of the British Museum. Of course there are many scattered in private hands, and some collections of note ; but it is seldom that much of importance is seen on going over such gatherings. In stating this, the scarabs and seals with private names are not included, as they are not so fully published for comparison. They form, however, only a small minority of the whole, probably not 5 per cent, of the name-scarabs in most collections, and generally much less. There are about 330 in this collection, and a little over a hundred in the British Museum, but no other collection has more than a few dozen.
A considerable part of the illustrations were prepared, more than a dozen years ago, from photographs by Mr. Nash; this unfortunately has entailed a loss, as the cost of blocks was then double of the present amount. The drawings of backs were also partly done then, and the classification of the types. In the last two years the collection—now largely increased—has been worked up to date, and the text completed, and rearranged to suit the present form of publication. In this manner the illustrations and catalogue are always together, while the advantage of finer paper for the figures is obtained.
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