712-30 BC, Late Period/Ptolemaic. A beautiful restrung necklace with tubular and discoid beads as well as a beautiful pale scarab. Scarabs, from Latin scarabaeus (“beetle”), which in turn comes from Greek karabos (“beetle”; “crayfish”), were artistic depictions of the Egyptian dung beetle. In Egyptian mythology, these insects were linked to the Sun God Ra, who after his death in the Underworld, was reborn as a scarab. Used as amulets, seals and to fulfil commemorative functions, scarabs were an important element of dress. Their undersides frequently feature hieroglyphic or geometric designs to identify their owners or ward off evil spirits. Due to their small, abstract nature, scarabs cannot normally be closely dated generally. See K. M. Kooney (2008). ‘Scarabs,’ in The UCLA Encyclopaedia of Egyptology, available online at https://escholarship.org/uc/item/13v7v5gd. Good Condition. Wearable. Size: L:235mm / W:mm ; 7.6g; Provenance: Private London collection, formed in the 1980-90s on the UK and European art market.