An Ancient Egyptian bronze stamp seal incised on one side with hieroglyphs. The seal is cartouche-shaped with a thick loop to reverse. The face of the seal features a sequence of hieroglyphs, now mostly worn. Three hieroglyphs in the middle can be identified as ripple of water sign (n), tethering rope sign (ṯ), and another ripple of water. Significant chipping and warping to the bottom of the seal obscures more hieroglyphs and, possibly, the horizontal base of the cartouche. Chipping to the edges of the seal. Earthy encrustations and patination to the surface. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the Scarabaeus Beetle had the ability to spontaneously regenerate itself from cow dung, which these beetles roll around. The scarabs would form small balls by pushing the dung forward and then bury themselves and lay eggs inside. Consequently, the scarab came to be associated with the spontaneous continuation of the life cycle. In addition, this movement resembled the journey the sun does every day across the sky and therefore the Egyptian God Khepri, who represents the morning sun, became strongly associated with this insect. Scarabs are amongst the most popular and most numerous of all Ancient Egyptian artefacts and were especially employed in the funerary context. Measurements: (circa) L 4.6cm x W 2.5cm Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.