The heart scarab is an oval scarab artifact dating from ancient Egypt. Mostly an amulet, it also was used as jewelry, a memorializing artifact, or a grave good. The heart scarab is inscribed with Chapter 30 of the Book of the Dead. The function of the heart scarab according to Ancient Egyptian religion was to bind the heart to silence whilst it was being weighed in the underworld, to ensure that the heart did not bear false witness against the deceased, or to act in its place if necessary. [1]
The significance of the heart scarab to the ancient Egyptians stems from the religious importance of the scarab beetle, Scarabaeus sacer . The scarab beetle in Ancient Egyptian religion represented rebirth and creation [2] and the heart (ib) represented the seat of intelligence and the storehouse of memory. The heart was the most important organ to the ancient Egyptians, and it was the only organ left remaining after mummification.
In the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, the hearts of the dead were weighed against a single feather from the headdress of the goddess Ma'at. [3] If the heart was lighter they will be allowed to start a long and perilous journey to Aaru, where they will exist in peace and pleasure for eternity. Conversely, hearts that are heavy with evil will tumble from the scale pan and fall into the crocodilian jaws of the goddess Ammit. Any souls that are subject to Ammit's "second death" are doomed to restlessness in the Duat. [4] [5] The heart scarab would be used to secure safe passage at the Weighing of the Heart ceremony, should the original heart be lacking.
Heart scarabs are described in the Book of the Dead to be made of a stone: nmhf, nemehef (not now identified); typically green stones, green jasper, serpentine, and basalt. [6]
The first known depictions of heart scarabs are found in the Sixteenth Dynasty or Seventeenth Dynasty circa 1690 B.C., [7] although it is known that the amulet was in use as early as the Eleventh Dynasty. Until the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the heart scarab had a strong connection to Theban royalty. The amulet then began appearing in the burials of other Egyptians. [8] During the Twenty-first Dynasty, it stood as an important item of magical protection among the priesthood of Amun. After the Twenty-first Dynasty, the amulet is rarely depicted in human contexts and instead, is associated with specific divinities. [9]
Heart scarabs went through significant modifications in their design over the course of history. During the New Kingdom, heart scarabs were large, typically between four and five centimeters long. [2] By the Third Intermediate Period, a new variation emerged. This new scarab was much smaller, at about two to four centimeters long. [2] Due to their smaller size, these heart scarabs were not engraved. Unlike other heart scarabs that were placed directly above a person's heart and wrapped into their bandages, these new variations of heart scarabs were placed inside the person's chest cavity, alongside their true heart. [2] Heart scarabs were also used in the design of pectorals, which were a rectangular chest ornament. [10]
