What it tells us about the past: This amulet, shaped like a scarab beetle, was discovered in the tomb of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman named Hatnefer. But the charm, which was intended to assist ...

The scarab was carved from serpentinite, a greenish-gray metamorphic rock, and measures roughly 2.6 inches (6.6 centimeters) long. It was set in gold and suspended on a 30.5-inch-long (77.5 cm ...