356 scarabscarab It is the form of a beetle, Scarabeus saceror
Scarabeus harabas,and associated with the cult of the god
RÉ. The beetle pushes a ball of dung into a hole and lays
eggs in the matter, thus providing its young with security
and food. This action was revered as Ré’s movement
across the sky. The first flight of newly hatched scarab
beetles also mirrored Ré’s rising. The scarab personified
Khepri as well, the aspect of Ré seen at dawn.
Called kheprar,the scarab had no wings or legs in the
early depictions, which date as early as the Old Kingdom
(2575–2134 B.C.E.), but then became more stylized and
detailed. Scarabs were fashioned out of stone-glazed
earthenware, stones, and gems. When made of blue
faience, they were used as amulets and attached to the
torso wrappings of mummies. They also formed an
amulet of the heart and were composed of large basalt
designs during the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.).
Winged scarabs were also popular in mortuary rituals.
During the reign of TUTHMOSIS III(1479–1425 B.C.E.),
the ruler’s cartouche was carved into the backs of scarabs.
AMENHOTEP III (r. 1391–1353 B.C.E.) also used large
scarabs as commemoratives of his marriage to Queen TIYE
(1). The scarab became one of the most popular symbols
and was used in pendants, decorative designs, and jew-
elry, while retaining its cultic significance and mortuary
connotations. Another plainer version was also used,
called scaraboids.
scepter This was an ancient Egyptian royal insignia,
depicting the time-honored traditions in each new reign.
Called the hekatwhen formed as a shepherd’s CROOK, the
scepter represented the early agricultural beginnings of
the land and designated the PHARAOHas the shepherd of
humans, called “the flocks of god.” When the scepter was
in the form of a waset,a carved emblem, it represented
the god SETand formed another insignia of ruling. Yet
another type of scepter was the SEKHEM, attributed to the
god OSIRISand kept at ABYDOS. This scepter had a golden
face at the top and denoted Osiris’s powers.
School Boy Texts They were written materials used in
the teaching institutions of Egypt as exercises in copying.
Found on OSTRAKAand in some surviving papyri, these
texts were traditional, maintaining the tone and style of
the original documents from the past. They were
designed to acquaint students of each new generation
with didactic literature and with the literary composi-
tions of earlier eras. Most urged the young Egyptian
males to become scribes.
scorpion A venomous arachnid symbolizing the
goddess SELKETand associated with the cult of OSIRIS-
ISIS-HORUS. Seven giant scorpions accompanied the
goddess Isis as her guardians. One stung the infant
Horus, according to cultic traditions. The Egyptians
believed that scorpions killed only men, out of reverence
for Isis.Scorpion I (Pe, Zekhen, Ip)(fl. 31st or 32nd century
B.C.E.)Ruler of the so-called Dynasty O of Egypt
Scorpion I was followed by an obscure Scorpion II. Scor-
pion I is described as an Upper Egyptian ruler who waged
war in the Delta, thus beginning the unification process
as early as 3250 B.C.E. He reportedly reached the area
around modern Cairo. Scorpion I’s capital was THINIS,or
This, replacing HIERAKONPOLIS. In Hierakonpolis, Scor-
pion I was called Ip. His name was also found in TUREH,
in TARKHAN, and in Cairo suburbs.
The Scorpion MACEHEAD, now in the Ashmolean
Museum, depicts Scorpion I as a king with the white
CROWNof Upper Egypt. He wears a kilt and a belted loin-
cloth to which a bull’s tail is attached as a symbol of
strength. Scorpion I is shown digging a canal with a hoe.
Before him a man fills a basket with earth, while others
water a potted palm. Fashioned out of limestone, the
macehead was found at Hierakonpolis. The Scorpion
Palette depicts him destroying seven cities in the Delta,
or else attacking one city seven times. Scorpion I is
depicted as a falcon and a lion on this palette.
Scorpion I’s tomb was discovered near ATHRIBIS at
Gebel Tjauti, and it contained boxes and objects carved
of ivory. Seven of the boxes contained linens. Hieroglyphs
discovered in Scorpion I’s tomb indicate that writing was
commonplace in Egypt much earlier than was formerly
believed. The tablets discovered in the site indicate the
number of linens and oils delivered to Scorpion, as well
as taxes and the names of institutions of the period.scribe It was the profession of the literate elite of
ancient Egypt who assumed a variety of functions in the
various historical periods in government and religious
institutions. Some scribes achieved high rank and hon-
ors, and the profession was highly esteemed. In one
ancient document the life of a scribe is called “the path of
the god.” Literacy was the prerequisite for any higher sec-
ular or religious office.
Scribes were exclusively men and were recruited
from all classes of society, as literacy and loyalty were the
two basic qualifications. They were educated by priests
and encouraged to develop their skills in specialized
record-keeping or in temple and government affairs.
Scribes were assigned to government or estate offices or
to the various agencies of temples after receiving training
in reading, writing, and the basic tenets of law, temple
lore, and administrative procedures. They had to have
command of nearly 800 hieroglyphs of Middle Egyptian,
and the additional signs when they were added to the
language in the Ramessid Period (1307–1070 B.C.E.).
Scribes were normally attached to the various tem-
ples they served, but in the New Kingdom (1550–1070