Commemorative scarab of the victory of Shabaka

In 715 BC, Kushite (Nubian) forces established themselves as the 25th Dynasty rulers of Egypt. This finely carved commemorative scarab celebrates the victory of King Shabaka over Egyptian rebels, foreign peoples and "sand dwellers" (of the Levant) who, fighting among themselves, delivered each other up as prisoners. C.T. Currelly, founder of the Royal Ontario Museum, purchased this piece in 1910 in Jerusalem, but it was not until 1956 that its authenticity was firmly established.