A definition of the word “scarab” is given in the Oxford Dictionary as Dung Beetle or to use its proper name: Scarabaeus sacer.

This is revered by the ancient Egyptians as a symbol of resurrection and immortality.

So let’s find out more about this sacred beetle.

Ancient Egyptian craftsmen were very much inspired by the natural world around them. The scarab beetle, they believed, had the capability of self generation. Just as this beetle pushes along a ball of dung, it was thought that Khepri (the evolving one), namely the Sun, was represented by the scarab. Just as the parent beetle was so often seen rolling a dung ball, then Khepri was depicted pushing up the sun. The young scarabs emerged from the ball of dung in which they were incubated and took flight. The act was, in itself, believed to represent the Sun God rising up into the heavens.
Consequently, therefore, the scarab is a prominent feature in funerary art.

Amulets, seals and rings, in the shape of the beetle became known as”Scarabs”.

The ancient Egyptians regarded the pellets of the sacred scarab as symbols of the world. They believed that projections on the heads of the beetles were emblems of the rays of the sun. . They carved figures of the insects out of stone or metal, and used them as charms. Such figures, too, were called scarabs. Usually, Egyptians removed the heart of a dead person, and put a large carved and often jeweled scarab in its place during embalming.

Sheila Crask
Secretary
NELEA

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