The Portland Art Museum is home to more than 1,350 ancient Egyptian scarabs and amulets. Although the collection entered the Museum in 1929 and was partially on display until the mid-1980s, most of the objects were hidden away in the vault for decades, for the lack of expertise to catalogue them. Local Egyptologist John Sarr, who began investigating the scarabs in the 1990s, has just completed a year of intensive research on the scarabs. In this illustrated lecture, he will unpack the mysteries of these tiny works of art. Carved between 4800 and 2300 years ago, and usually smaller than one-inch long, scarabs were used during life as seals or amulets and in death as a means of securing an afterlife. They often bear motifs or inscriptions that reveal much of ancient Egyptian religious beliefs. Sarr is an independent scholar, writer, and teacher who has taught extensively on Ancient Egyptian culture and the hieroglyphic language. He is an active member of the American Research Center in Egypt and founding president of the Center’s Oregon chapter.