Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BC. A large black heart scarab with precisely hand-carved details delineating the head, legs, and body. Fine incised lines detail the folded wing case, and the underside is uncarved. Heart scarabs were prescribed by the Book of the Dead to be made of stone, usually greenstone, such as jasper, serpentine, steatite and green basalt. A scarab like this would have been placed inside of a mummy's wrappings over its heart, which the ancient Egyptians believed to be the seat of the mind. After death, according to their beliefs, an individual's heart would be weighed against a feather by the jackal god Anubis before a panel of deities who waited at the gateway to the netherworld to judge the dead. If the heart was lighter than a feather, than the deceased could pass into the next life; if not, they would be devoured by the monster Ammut and cease to exist. Rare in this quality! Size: 2,4cm Item No.K30 Purchased by the current owner in 2012 in Austria, Wien from Collector fair. Collected Since:1970's. Previous owners history: Old Austrian Private Collection. The Seller can prove that the lot was obtained legally , provenance statement seen by Catawiki. Important information. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to ship this lot.