Past and present in scarab seal-amulets in ancient Egypt and Sudan in the Third Intermediate Period and beyond

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Alexander Ilin-Tomich
• Subject Area: Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 565226348

In the first half of the 1st Millennium BC, Egyptian and Egyptianizing scarabs spread to the farthest reaches of the Mediterranean world. Their origin and chronology are of interest for scholars across multiple fields of Mediterranean and Western Asian archaeology. Yet seal-amulets of that epoch unearthed in Egypt and Sudan proper remain largely poorly documented and understudied. The proposed project aims to analyse Late Ramesside, Third Intermediate Period, and Saite scarabs from excavations in Egypt and Sudan through publications, archival materials, and a re-examination of a representative sample in museums in order to systematically explore how Egyptian and Sudanese scarab carvers emulated historical scarabs and invented new historicizing scarab types, not only using archaising inscriptions and designs, but also intentionally replicating sculptural features of earlier scarabs. Unlike previous studies on this material, which primarily focused on designs and inscriptions on scarab bases, the project takes a wholistic approach taking into consideration all sculptural features and minute details. Therefrom, the project will study the regional and temporal distribution of scarab features, carefully distinguishing between emulated historical traits and new distinctive elements. Old archaeological publications reproducing scarab bases are no longer adequate to research questions arising today in scarab studies. Third Intermediate Period scarabs contain much more information than can be obtained from plates in reports by Petrie, Griffith, and Brunton, which still remain the principal reference. All material assembled by the project will flow into a digital platform for excavated scarabs from Egypt and Sudan, comprising photographs (including newly taken in the museums), detailed descriptions, bibliography, and information on find contexts. Controlled vocabularies for describing scarab features and designs will be developed to make scarab documentation more comprehensible, consistent, and universal. The new open platform will serve as the basis for further studies on Egyptian and Sudanese seal-amulets.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants