Scarab artifact

The Scarab artifacts of Ancient Egypt are based upon the Scarabaeidae family, the "dung beetles". Because the image of a 'ball of dung' rolled on the ground into a depression, for laying a beetle egg, and the transformation of a beetle larva, arising from a dung ball, this came to be iconographic, and ideological symbols incorporated into Ancient Egyptian society. The sun Ra rolls across the sky each day, and souls, and bodies become transformed.

Through different time periods, about 3000 years, the use of the "scarab artifacts" became many, and varied. As amulets, and a flat surface on the bottom, (as a similar artifact of a paper weight), it became a surface with other utilitarian purposes. Other nations, and regions, especially in the Levant even came to reproduce Egyptian styles, or to adapt their use to their own gods or 'personal uses'. They were also found as grave goods, amulets, talismans, jewellery-types, or gifts-of-affection.

Types of scarabs

Commerative scarabs

Beginning in the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, memorializing scarabs became common. They were often incorporated into tombs, as grave goods, or given as 'gifts'.

Amenhotep III is famous for his 'group of 5 scarabs' that memorialized events of his day. One of the five related to his lion hunt–(with claims of extraordinary lion numbers); the other famous one of the series relates the building of 'the lake for his wife, Queen Tiye'.

carabs as amulets

Miniature scaraboid seals

Miniature scaraboid seals were carried, or kept in the later periods of Ancient Egypt. They often had "catch phrases"; for example: "Amun-my-Strength". (Amun-my-Rock)

Reference

*Budge. "The Dwellers on the Nile," E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1977, (originally, c 1926, by Religious Tract Society, titled as: "The Dwellers on the Nile: Chapter of the Life, History, Religion and Literature of the Ancient-Egyptians"); pp 265-68: "account of the hunting of wild cattle by Amenhetep III", "taken from a great scarab"; (there are 16 registers-(lines) of hieroglyphs); (softcover, ISBN 0-486-23501-7)

ee also

*Scaraboid seal
*Dung beetle