Featured Carved Scarab Ceramic Bead with Hieroglyphics

~1 1/8" long, ~7/8" wide, >1/2" thick, ~/16" string holes; weighs ~9 grams. Some filthy, but I believe it'll clean up nicely.
I doubt it has much age to it, but the work put into the carving tells me it ain't American in origin. That summarizes my knowledge about this bead.
Where or when acquired is a mystery, but several decades ago, perhaps in SoCal.
Do any of you read hieroglyphics? Or are they just fantasy scratchings in a lump of fired clay?
Beats me all hollow...but thanks for lookin '!

 

would make a nice ring !!

 

Made in Egypt, almost certainly. Hard to date, they’ve been made since ancient times. I suspect yours is nineteenth, given the quality.

 

Agree definitely Egyptian, although I think steatite rather than ceramic. Very unusual in having the top as well as the bottom of the beetle with figures. They look like a baboon (Thoth?) and a cobra to me. I can't remotely make sense of hieroglyphics, but can see that the ones on the bottom of this piece are different from ones you are likely to see on contemporary scarabs. Could be a replica of the cartouche of some ruler. Also agree that this is an older item, but not an antiquity, most likely a souvenir.

 

I've posted it on CoinTalk, under exonumia...they have quite a bit of Scarab postings an' commentary. I'll certainly wait for all your, an' their comments, before undertaking clean-up efforts. I'm grateful for y'alls observations, an' quite encouraged that I may have something a bit unusual with this. Thank You!

 

I thought it looked pretty clean already. I agree that it's stone, and probably made as a souvenir. If it were mine I'd throw it on a cord and add a clasp and wear it, old joolie that I am.