Image Details

Courtesy The Temple Mount Sifting Project

It is rare for the Temple Mount Sifting Project to find artifacts that predate the First Temple period, but this New Kingdom Pharaonic scarab is one such example. Dating to the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550–1200 B.C.E.), this small soapstone scarab measures only 0.5 by 0.3 inches. The carved image depicts the Egyptian lion-headed goddess Sekhmet; it was most likely used as an amulet.