Lion Hunt Scarab

The pharaoh Amenhotep III commissioned hundreds of large commemorative scarabs inscribed with text recording his glorious deeds. He sent them across Egypt and as far as Syria and Sudan, to let the world know of his achievements. The Museum has three scarabs that pay tribute to the king’s strength and bravery for killing 102 lions in the first ten years of his reign. The flat base of teh scarab is inscribed with eight lines of hieroglyphic script commemorating the lion-hunts of Amenhotep III. Lines 1 - 5 give full titles and names of Amenhotep III and Tiye. Translation of lines 5 - 6: "number of the lions brought by his majesty in his own shooting, beginning from the year 1 ending at the year 10: Lions fierce, 102". The scarab is pierced longitudinally. On the top of the scarab the elytra is marked. Beneath the legs on both sides is the prenomen of Amenhotep III, Nebmaatre, within a cartouche. Originally condemned as a 'modern forgery' by Dr Samuel Birch and the Revd. Grenville Chester. Later, in September 1887 it was seen by Prof. Flinders Petrie who corrected the description to 'Lion Hunt Scarab of Amenhotep III and Queen Taia, XVIII dynasty". Professors Newberry and Peet approved this correction.