Heart scarab

'Scarabeus sacer' symbolized the rising sun, one of the three stages in the life of the sun god Re. Within the funerary context it became synonymous with the resurrection or rather rebirth, and it is for this reason that the heart-shaped scarab was placed in the mummy of the deceased, replacing magically the inert heart of the dead person. This heart scarab exhibits faithfully the anatomy of the insect: the head with its mandibles, eyes and antennae are finely carved. The hieroglyphic text which covers the underside of the scarab is a formula taken from chapter 30B of the 'Book of the Dead'. The deceased was required to recite this during the judgement of the dead, so that his confession would agree with that of his own heart.